


Tea Leaves

by asmaru



Category: Justice League - All Media Types, Teen Titans - All Media Types
Genre: Aliases, Angst, Drama & Romance, F/M, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friendship/Love, Male-Female Friendship, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-27
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2019-12-25 12:59:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18261779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asmaru/pseuds/asmaru
Summary: Six years after the defeat of Trigon, The Titans have done their job too well leaving Jump City almost without crime. With an abundance of free time, Raven finds herself in uncharted territory. In order to accommodate such freedom, the other Titans have found ways to preoccupy themselves while being productive at the same time. After several job applications, Raven finally lands a job that is almost too perfect for her. Upon starting her job for the alluring multi-billionaire and businessman, Vincent Wilson,  Raven's mind develops a new and unfamiliar emotion. How will Raven cope with the sudden changes in her life? Who is the mysterious enigma of a man she calls her employer?  Why is he somehow familiar? And... what is he hiding?





	1. Routine

**Author's Note:**

> Hello AO3 readers! After a long and arduous mental battle with myself, I have decided to practice my rusty writing skills. Due to unfortunate life circumstances, I have a great amount of anxiety when it comes to writing. As one can imagine, such anxiety has been a great hindrance on my academics. So, in order to cope and battle against my fear, I plan on using this work as a mental training ground to combat and defeat my crippling writing anxiety. It is my hope that I can not only conquer my fear but to also write a long and complete work that portrays a Slade/Raven relationship in a new and enticing way. I have a great deal of this fiction already mentally mapped out in my mind, but I am more than happy to receive suggestions for the plot as well as ways to make my writing more compelling to the reader. This, admittedly, is my first ever fanfiction so forgive me as I attempt to adjust from my typical slam poetry writing style. Thank you again for reading! Comments of constructive criticism welcome and appreciated! Much love!  
> -Asmaru ♥

A chill ran down her arms as a gentle wind tugged at her amethyst hair. The pale demoness maintained her trademark lotus position; her palms still upwards drinking in the cold breeze that danced between her slender fingers. Her form remained to levitate a few inches above the surface of the ground atop Titans Tower even though her meditation had long been forgotten. The light behind her closed eyelids gradually changed from black to a light orange alerting her of the change in her surroundings. Her arms slowly curled around her torso while she touched her feet to the ground. She stood there for a brief period trying to register the new weight on her legs.

How long has she been up here? An hour? Two? There was once a period of her life where losing track of time was a foreign concept, but that was a darker time. One where Trigon lurked relentlessly in every corner of her mind demanding entrance to the world through his gem- his portal conceived in darkness- his daughter. Raven exhaled a deep breath before carefully opening her eyes. Orange and yellow hues grazed over her violet irises while holding a squinted gaze. A small smile began to form on her lips.

Sunrise was her favorite part of the day. It signified the start to a new day, a new beginning- a new adventure. That and the quietness due to most inhabitants of Jump City still being asleep is an endearing concept to her. Now adjusted to the new light, her eyes opened fully to drink in her surroundings. Violet hair swept gracefully around the small of her back mimicking the motion of the trees across the bay; their bright green leaves rustling ever so slightly. The crashing waves of the ocean graced her ears, their icy blue-green depths swayed against the rocks that supported the tower with a serene ferocity. The sunlight trailed over the waves bringing light to the darkness of the water. The smell of saltwater tickled her nostrils as goosebumps began to form on her bare legs. Satisfied with the stillness of her surroundings, she brought her hood over her head followed by the folds of her cloak being pulled to surround her front. Once she was certain she was shielded from the eyes of her teammates, she turned and began walking to the door that led inside.

The other Titans would be up soon meaning if she wanted to take a quiet shower undisturbed, she should do it now. It had been six years since the defeat of Trigon and yet, Beast Boy never seemed to grow out of some of his obnoxious tendencies, primarily the one where he would run the halls in the morning shouting at Cyborg for the umpteenth time for making something _other_ than tofu for breakfast. Scrunching her nose at the thought of tofu, she descended down the stairs before navigating the halls to her bedroom.

Since the defeat of Trigon, many things at the tower had changed. For one, they were no longer ‘The Teen Titans' seeing as Beast Boy was now 22 and he was the youngest of the team. Now, they responded to being ‘The Titans,' something Robin was more than happy to change before broadcasting it to every news network to ensure his old mentor, Batman knew to no longer address him as a child. Unsurprisingly, the Dark Knight of Gotham maintains his stoic nature and continues to regard the group as an _adequate_ team of vigilantes.

Suffice it to say, Robin, now 25 has matured significantly, though his heart still weighs heavy when regarding his previous mentor and role model. Raven continues to process with him on the things that he is willing to share, though, there are some areas in Robin's mind that even she cannot get him to talk about. Even with their bond, Robin will not divulge his thoughts to her despite her knowing his past in great detail. His parents and himself were acrobats in an act called ‘The Flying Graysons' in Haly's Circus. However, when the circus owner did not respond to threats of extortion from the mobster, Tony Zucco, John and Mary Grayson later fell to their deaths due to an _"accident"_ while Robin- Richard Grayson- watched in horror. Bruce Wayne later took the child in as his legal ward. Seeing promise in the boy's acrobatic skills, the boy was later trained to fight crime alongside the multi-billionaire's alter identity, Batman. Since that day Richard has hidden behind the persona of, Robin. Now days though, Robin refers to himself as Nightwing and adorns himself in a black and blue high density polarized titanium suit large enough to cover his newly acquired height and muscle mass. However, the domino mask from his previous stoplight uniform continues to hide what only Raven and Starfire know to be crystal cerulean orbs.

Beast Boy even underwent a name change and now refers to himself as Changeling, though his uniform is relatively the same except larger to accommodate his larger build from physical maturing. Raven, however, argues his maturity is sorely limited to his physical appearance and has little to nothing to do with his mental capacity. Though, even she had to admit the shapeshifter had his moments of surprising wisdom. Raven knew his real name was Garfield Logan, and a serum from a rare green monkey saved his life from a disease he contracted as a child. The serum later mutated the young boy's genetic code turning his skin and hair green and allowing him to shapeshift into a variety of animals. Unfortunately, his parents weren't so lucky to survive and succumbed to the disease. Orphaned, the boy was taken in by a group called the Doom Patrol where a woman, Elasti-Girl empathized with the young shapeshifter and took him as her own son with her husband Mento. Though, despite now having a mother and a father figure again, Mento was very critical and harsh to the boy. Later, it was decided that Changeling was no longer suited for the team and was asked to leave and go elsewhere. After trying to fight crime on his own for a while, he later met Raven who was forming the group that would later be called ‘The Teen Titans'. There, Garfield found a family and a true sense of belonging; a forever home that not only loved him but needed him. Raven sighed. Yes, his antics are often unwanted and childish, but Raven knows humor is his coping mechanism to soothe him of all he has lost.

Raven turned a corner, mentally thanking Cyborg for adding dimly lit lights in the halls for her to avoid bumping into corners and having to heal bruises later. Cyborg has remained mostly the same over the years with the exception of several technological upgrades and a slight maturing on his 26-year-old human features. The sorceress tightened her arms around her chest and allowed a soft chuckle to escape her lips. Cyborg was the closest person she had to a big brother. He sought out the Teen Titans after the accident at S.T.A.R Labs where his parents worked. After a grave miscalculation, while testing an experimental interdimensional portal, a gelatinous monster crossed over and murdered Victor's mother, Elinore Stone before severely lacerating his body. Thankfully, Victor's father was able to send the monster back before losing his son for good. With the help of science and a lot of prototypes and luck, Silas Stone was able to save his son. With the repercussions that followed, however, Silas lost his wife and his son that day, but the world gained a hero in the making. Victor took on the name ‘Cyborg' after his grief of his mother and the loss of himself degraded him and his academics slipped. Not that they were needed now that he possessed all of the world's knowledge in his dual human and robotic systems thanks to the internet. Still, Cyborg struggled with his image and wishing he could live a simple even a _normal_ life again. His gratitude for his new family was immeasurable, but he never fully recovered from the loss of part of himself. Raven was constant in her encouragement of him though. All of the Titans were. Without Cyborg the Team would not have as advanced security systems, nor would they have a community big brother to lean on. Besides, who else would be able to humble Changeling in video games before screaming, "BOOYAH!" , in his face?

The hallway curved again to a darker hall in the tower. Raven reached out with her magic and willed the steel door with her name engraved on it to open. Once she stepped inside the door slid shut behind her sending a gust of air against her back. Another thing she was grateful for was the recent installation of personal bathrooms in each of the Titan's rooms. Nightwing even admitted he could hardly stand to share a bathroom with four other people, especially when one of those people was as untidy as Changeling. Starfire would even eat everyone's toothpaste saying it tasted like her favorite Tamaranean desert, Zorkaberries. When Nightwing caught the alien princess feeding toothpaste to, Silkie, a mutated moth larva, he decided it was time to renovate all of their rooms.

Turning to the right and walking to her bathroom, Raven began to shed her now white cloak and leotard. After the defeat of her father, Starfire insisted that she maintain the embodiment of unity and purity of her powers without Trigon's influence. Starfire even insisted the demoness kept her hair long despite the threats to transport her to an alternate dimension if the alien suggested the idea again. As time went by though, the hassle to cut her hair constantly was becoming a mundane task. She even began to enjoy how her long lilac strands framed her matured face and helped to further conceal her larger bodily curves. To say, Starfire was thrilled at the change would be an understatement. Raven instinctively rolled her shoulders at the memory of her best friend crashing against her and crushing her limbs in a painful hug.

Starfire. Even the half demon can hardly resist the urge to smile at the alien girl's many quirks. Her positivity is one that Raven admits to envy. Showing emotions, though it's possible, has never been easy for fear of losing control of her powers and destroying any nearby objects. On the other hand, Starfire, now 24, feels emotions so freely. Thankfully, Raven is able to tap into her friend's as well as other's emotions and feel them for herself even though she herself cannot actively show them. Starfire, despite the abuse and torture at the hands of others, has always remained kind and forgiving. Even when her sister, Blackfire sold her to such a fate as a young teen, she still found it in her heart to forgive and not allow such things to break her spirit. If anything, such trauma has allowed her to become stronger in every way. The experiments which were done to her are the source of the starbolts she is able to throw with her hands which allowed her to escape her captors and eventually find the Teen Titans. More importantly though, upon returning to her home planet for a betrothed wedding which was later dubbed another scheme by Blackfire, Starfire learned the values of her people and became a warrior beside them rather than a princess apart from them. It is these such values that are the driving force for her while fighting crime on Earth with the Titans. While Tamaran will always be a home to the warrior princess, the Titans will always be her family.

The sound of bare footsteps echoed through her bathroom, her white boots and purple socks were forgotten on the floor outside the bathroom door. The light gray floor tiles contrasted nicely with the small slightly lighter marbled gray hexagon backsplash and shower tiles. The large rectangular sink and toilet softened the room further with their porcelain white frames set against the left wall of the room. The gray floor tiles extended upward into the wall until a ledge forms a few inches above her sink providing an exceptional amount of shelf space that extends all the way back into the rectangular dual shower and bath at the end of the room. The bath was comprised of the same tiles that decorated the floor, folding briefly before dipping back down to the floor of the tub before repeating one more time to finish the second large edge of her tub. Raven turned to the towel rack across from the toilet grabbing a small purple washcloth and placing it on the large edge to the right of the tub before shedding the remainder of her undergarments. Above her toilet and sink hung a large dual segmented mirror that extends slightly above the small ledge that adorned the entire left wall. From the far end of the mirror and extending enough to cover half of the tub with the waterfall shower head, stands a still glass window to keep water from the floor. The right half of the tub remains uncovered, though a narrow privacy window stands from the top of the tub to the ceiling in the far right corner of the bathroom allowing soft light to flood in.

Glancing once at her bare frame in the mirror she stepped into the tub turning the stainless steel handle. Water gushed violently from the faucet before she turned the dial that sent the water cascading down from the showerhead. She inhaled sharply as the cold water bit against her skin until it warmed to a comfortable temperature. Content with the now borderline scalding water, the sorceress began to apply her lavender scented shampoo to her hair. Reaching out with her soul-self she turned on the small gray speaker that rested on the ledge above her sink before selecting music on her phone to play from the device. Calm ambient music echoed through the room. Raven rinsed her hair before applying a conditioner of the same scent. Soft humming reverberated against the hexagon tiles while Raven matched the music with her own voice. She would never understand how music was able to elicit such strong emotions from her, but it was one of those things she was comfortable with not knowing. After rinsing her hair once more, combing her fingers through her locks, she exfoliated her skin gently with her creamy brown loofah and lavender scented body wash. After she rinsed herself one last time, she turned the handle, bringing an end to the sound of droplets splashing against the tiles. Taking the small washcloth from the edge of the tub, she gently began to pat down her face. Reaching with her powers, she grabbed a matching purple towel from the previous towel rack and began to dry off the rest of her body.

After securely wrapping the towel around her hair, she stepped out of the tub approaching her mirror. Lifting up on one of the mirrors she grabbed her toothbrush and toothpaste before replacing the mirror into its previous position. Raven brushed her teeth quickly before replacing the hygiene items back to their respective places and grabbing a floss stick. Upon exiting the bathroom she discarded her dirty clothes into the gray hamper outside the door. Soft black carpet cushioned her feet as she made her way to the other side of her room to her closet. After quickly selecting her undergarments, she exited the closet with a clean leotard and cloak in hand. Quickly, she discarded the towel from her head and her floss stick and began to dress.

Using the full-length mirror outside her closet, she made sure the zipper of her leotard was completely up before scooping her discarded belt up from the floor. The large circular gems made her hips look even larger since reaching adulthood. Nightwing even insisted all of the Titans have individualized strength training routines. Raven's was gruesome, to say the least. The unfortunate side effect was a tight hourglass figure and tone muscles to par with fitness models. Admittedly, Raven was proud to be stronger in combat because of her training, though, she didn't enjoy the unwanted attention it drew to her.

Raven rolled her eyes at the memory of Nightwing having to read her fan mail to make sure none of her "admirers" sent her any… explicit content. The letters ranged from genuine and kind words of admiration to fan drawn images of her in their fantasies. She even threatened to break the hand of a fan after receiving an unsolicited genitalia photograph. Cyborg was quick to remove the unsightly object from her view while Nightwing reminded her that hurting the public was counterproductive to their cause. Changeling, however, goated that creeps like that should classify as criminals. For once, Raven agreed with the green shapeshifter. Starfire followed Cyborg asking questions about the criminal object in question. Cyborg swiftly replied, "Things like this are meant to be shared with significant others, not just anyone." Swiftly following his reply, Starfire flew up to Nightwing with a twinkle in her large kiwi eyes squealing, "My other of significance, I would like you to give me such an item as Raven's admirer has given her!" Raven had to stifle a chuckle at the memory of Nightwing's face turning red before excusing himself from the room. Starfire wasn't far behind him smiling like a giddy teenager.

A sharp knock at her door brought her from her thoughts.

"Friend, Raven, are you awake at this time?"

Raven reached out with her mind and felt the warmth of Starfire's happiness radiate from her. "Good morning, Starfire," she said in a warmer tone than usual, "I'll be out in a few minutes."

Starfire beamed at the sound of her friend's voice, "Oh yes! I have much of the girl talk to share with you!" The alien princess flew away towards the common room of the tower.

"Can't wait," Raven replied with her usual tone to no one in particular. Raven pulled her cloak over her shoulders, making sure her damp hair was pulled in front to conceal her chest. She then gathered her boots from outside her bathroom and slipped them on. As she approached her bedroom door she was thankful, for her morning routine to get ready was not extensive. Thanks to her demonic heritage, she was lucky to not have any hair other than that on her head. Hearing how often Starfire has to shave her legs sounded incredibly time-consuming, not to mention her use of makeup. Raven was surprisingly grateful to Trigon for that seeing as her leotard left her legs exposed daily.

Raven walked through the door and levitated herself towards the common room. As she got closer she could feel the emotions of her friends swirling together. Starfire was its natural warm radiance of joy and happiness with a hint of love. Nightwing was that of content and admiration laced with irritation. Cyborg was emitting strong signals of pride and amusement. Changeling however expelled feelings of fear, annoyance, and disgust, "I guess Cyborg made breakfast this morning." Raven thought to herself knowing this blend of emotions all too well. Not waiting for the door to open in front of her, Raven phased through it with ease.

Cyborg was wearing his ‘Kiss the cook' apron and a white toque rested on his bald head. He was in the middle of saying something about bacon being better than tofu when he noticed Raven approaching the stove where he was standing. "Good morning, sunshine!" The half-robot man grinned instinctively moving to the side for her to get past him.

The demoness walked past him grabbing her dark blue tea kettle and placing it on the stove. "Morning." She looked back at him before turning to the rest of the team. "No tofu and pancakes this morning?" She smirked turning to the cupboard and grabbing her favorite mug. Changeling narrowed his eyes pouting his lips at her. Before he could speak, however, a plate engulfed in black floated over to the green man being deposited next to his plate of waffles. "You should know, Cyborg always makes a side of tofu for you." The shapeshifter looked to the plate to find tofu scrambled and fried with an assortment of vegetables. The green man smiled a toothy grin, "Dude, you should have told me!"

"I thought you would expect it after all these years," the chocolate man laughed, "but I guess not! Now hurry up and eat so I can kick your butt at video games." He pointed towards the living room, " You should know better than threatening to pee on the T-Car's tires again!" Nightwing smirked, taking Starfire's hand and squeezing it before returning to what was left of his bacon. Starfire hummed while proceeding to dip a waffle into a sauce bowl of mustard.

"You're on, Tin Man!"Changeling shouted before seeming to devour the remainder of his food in lightning speed.

Raven reached for a small glass jar on the counter while using her powers to find a tea infuser in a nearby drawer. Upon opening the jar, the smell of lavender flooded her senses washing over a feeling of calm over her mind. She filled the infuser with the tea leaves before returning the jar back to its place on the counter. She dropped the infused into her cup and waited for the water to come to a boil. She approached the couple sitting at the breakfast bar, using her power to pull out a chair before sitting caddy corner from Starfire. "You wanted to tell me something this morning?" The dark woman's typically gravelly voice was smooth and laced with as much warmth she could muster without risking the combustion of innocent objects. Starfire's emerald eyes widened before she raised her arms joyfully, "Yes, friend! I have the most glorious of news! Do you remember our journey to the mall of shopping when a young girl needed assistance reaching the top shelf?" Raven raised an eyebrow and nodded.

She remembered that Starfire begged her to go into a large clothing store to try on some outfits. Begrudgingly the dark woman agreed. After several outfits, Starfire demanded the demoness purchase a black crop top paired with a pair of green jean shorts to wear with her black combat boots. Though the outfit was revealing, Raven had to agree she liked how the colors looked on her skin. Upon leaving the store with their purchases, Starfire, having an assortment of pinks and purples overflowing her bag, noticed a young girl trying to reach a pair of red heels on the top shelf. The alien girl quickly glided over and retrieved the shoes for the woman. Not long after the girl expressed her gratitude to the Titan, another woman came to talk to the pair. The woman appeared to work at the store, perhaps she was just thanking Starfire too? Raven didn't think much of the event. Her mind was focused on the bag of books she had purchased prior to entering the clothing store. Looking back, however, Starfire did seem excessively happier than usual while walking back to the tower that day.

The redhead clasped her hands over her head and began floating out of her seat. "I now have what you call a job! I have been asked to help people who are vertically challenged to reach things up high! Isn't it marvelous?" Raven maintained a stoic face but tilted her head to the side looking at Nightwing. He took a sip of his coffee knowingly. "I think she's been asked as a way to bring in more customers to the store. I'm not particularly happy with it, but they plan on paying her rather well. It wouldn't hurt to have an additional form of income to support her shopping endeavors." A smirk graced his lips, "Not to mention, she'll always be ready to stop a crime should something happen at the mall."

A crease began to form beneath her chakra. "I'm glad you're happy," her normal monotone began to return to her words," but you already have a job. Why would you want another?" The sound of boiling water reached her ears. Black tendrils lifted the teapot from the stove before pouring the liquid into her mug. Placing the kettle on the stove once more she flicked the stove off. Her mug glided to the breakfast bar before being released onto the counter along with a bottle of honey. "Raven," Cyborg placed his game controller next to him on the couch, "the crime rate has been progressively dropping for the past two years. I've been running numbers and cross-referencing them with data from the police and F.B.I, crime is at an all-time low and it will likely continue to drop." The half man shrugged his shoulders, "We did our job well. We've gotten much stronger and honestly, we're just here for the instance a big criminal decides to show up." Changeling shifted on the couch to face her, "Yeah Rae, we haven't had any consistent crime for months. Don't you think it's boring to sit at the Tower all day doing the same things over and over again?"

The sorceress stirred the honey into her tea and discarded the infuser in the sink. "We all have activities outside of our hero work to keep us busy." Nightwing lifted his hand from his plate in a swinging motion, "Cyborg has been implementing new security systems around the city. He's even been working at an auto shop to teach incoming students." He rested his hand on the handle of his coffee. Raven mimicked the motion staring into her cup.

Her purple mug gradually began responding to the heat of the tea causing the signature purple to gradient into a pristine white. Closing her large amethyst eyes she recalled Changeling helping at several animal shelters to communicate with animals in pain who couldn't voice their needs. She remembered him telling her about an older dog who was having pain in his tail. After doing x-rays they found an impressive collection of cancerous cells near the base of its tail. After being amputated, the dog was much happier and found a forever home as a result.

She lifted her eyes to meet the domino mask watching her intently. Even, Nightwing had been taking online classes to better his criminology knowledge as well as a variety of sciences to further aid in his weapons and utility belt arsenal. The raven-haired man even began taking on cold cases from the police department. Pale fingers gripped her now white mug handle and raised the cup to her lips. Lavender spilled over her tongue as she breathed. Lavender always kept her mind level. The scent reminded her of her mother and the monks of Azarath. Azar deemed lavender a fitting scent for the girl to be soothed by and made it a point to incorporate the scent into as many items as possible. Raven was always reminded of the serenity of Azarath every time the scent drifted into her senses, so naturally, she used lavender in practically everything. Nightwing noticed a few years back and purchased what is now her favorite tea while they were in Tokyo. Raven blushed at the memory of enjoying the tea so much that she ordered a stockpile of it when she found the company was going out of business. Her head turned to look to the tea on the counter.

"You want me to get a job?" The disinterest in her voice was made apparent to the room's occupants. Black magic began to plate some waffles and bacon for the sorceress. Starfire floated back into her seat, her emotions reaching to flick against the dark woman's shoulder. Concern and worry poured from the girl. The alien finally reached her hand out to rest on Raven's shoulder. "It is not that we want you to get a job. We only fear you will be lonely at the tower by yourself all the time." The plate of food crashed to the floor, the black magic now absent. Cyborg and Changeling turned to look at the source of noise, their friendly rivalry was briefly forgotten. "Alone?" She practically whispered, "All the time?"

The thought of being alone was a tempting notion. However, Raven had the feeling that her friends would be occupied with their other lives for an extended period of time. Even she didn't enjoy the thought of being alone _all the time_.

"Rae, we don't want to make you feel like you have to but-", Nightwing stopped as Raven shrugged Starfire's hand from her shoulder as she stood. She walked over to the mess of glass and food on the floor and began to pick up the pieces. Raven calculated it was best if her powers remain dormant while her thoughts repeated a mantra instilled in her since she could speak.

‘ _Azarath metrion zinthos. Azarath metrion zinthos. Azarath…_ '

Pieces of glass filled her hands as she walked to the trash can. Her friends eyed her cautiously, not willing to move for fear of upsetting their darker friend. Raven unceremoniously dropped the shards into the can before navigating herself to the kitchen sink and pulling out a small broom and dustpan underneath. She swept the remainder of the mess into the pan before returning to the trash can. Upon returning the broom and pan underneath the sink, she washed her hands, secretly wishing the soap was the one from her room an not an obnoxiously sweet-scented one of sugar and vanilla. Starfire began to stand, but, Nightwing quickly grabbed her hand giving her a soft look. The alien princess sunk back into her chair and resumed dipping waffles into her mustard.

Raven grabbed a new plate from the cupboard and began to plate herself some new food. Plate in hand, Raven approached Starfire. The demon was unaccustomed to physical touch, but she didn't want Starfire to worry. She rested a hand on the warrior princess's shoulder and offered a small smile. "I'm glad you're excited about your job. They're lucky to have you." The feeling of worry faded from the alien and was replaced with one of relief. Satisfied with her friend's mind being eased, Raved grabbed her mug of tea and continued to her bedroom for another session of morning meditation.

 

__________________________________________________________________

Boxes piled dangerously on top of one another nearly flooding the spacious rooms of the recently constructed mansion. An older gentleman in a crisp black and white suit surveyed the towers of boxes in amazement mixed with fatigue as the realization of his current situation began to take form. "You really expect me to organize the contents of this mess by myself?" The man turned to his friend walking effortlessly with a large box in his arms. The younger man placed the box delicately on the floor before returning back outside to retrieve another. "It's not like I can ask anyone else to do it." The other man replied evenly, "You can use some of my bots to unload the boxes, however," the man shrugged his shoulders before looking back, "I need you to arrange them in a _human_ way, not wherever has the space to hold them." The man continued to the large moving truck outside the mansion.

The older man exhaled slowly before shedding his suit jacket and resting it onto a nearby counter. He eyed the boxes cautiously, trying his hardest to not be overwhelmed by their vast multitude. "Slade," he sighed as the younger man approached with yet another box in hand, "I'm flattered you believe I am capable of doing this by myself, but I am not as young as I once was." Slade placed the box next to the previous one. The large man began to roll up the sleeves of his white button-down shirt, "You finally admit it then?"Slade carded his hand through his hair before resting his hand on his hip. "Will, I've known you to be forthcoming to a great many things, but being old has never been one of them." The taller man chuckled lightly turning to his friend. The two had moved a great many times over the years. Slade remembers fondly of a small villa overlooking the waters of Venice just before their recent relocation. Before Venice, the two resided in Tokyo in a small penthouse with an impressive light show outside their windows every night. In truth, their location always had an expiration date. His line of work called for a great deal of secrecy and confidentiality. In order to maintain such measures, it was decided best to maintain a constantly changing place of residence. As of late, however, Slade had spent five years without being sighted anywhere in the United States. Vast numbers of his Slade Bots remained in Tokyo at the moment, maintaining the facade of the mercenary's presence elsewhere.

A small scoff brought the villain back to the situation. "I'm not old, I'm simply not as young as I was ten years ago." The older man crossed his arms and glared at the taller man menacingly. "I'm going to need _someone_ to help me." Slade eyed the stacks of boxes, then the second and third moving trucks behind the first which- to Wintergreen's dismay- was still mostly full of numerous boxes and furniture.

"I know you won't be able to help me. God knows you'll be holed up in your office the moment all your current projects have been secured." Will threw up his arms in frustration. "Of all the people I choose to befriend and I'm stuck with a workaholic fixated on being a chaotic pain in the-"

"One." Slade interrupted.

Wintergreen paused his rantings looking bewilderedly at his friend. "One?" He repeated.

"You may have one person assist you. I will write up a temporary job opportunity and advertise it _sparingly_ around town." Slade narrowed his eye slightly, arms folding in front of his broad chest. "I will be sure that whoever you choose will not interfere with my work, nor will they be made aware of who we are." He turned back to the truck, arms folding behind him in his signature military stance, "Understood?"

Wintergreen reached out and rested his worn hand on Slade's shoulder. The man really couldn't expect Will to be able to do such a feat all by himself. All of their previous houses were much smaller and most of their belongings were kept in a variety of storage warehouses. Seeing as they will be making a permanent residence here, the storage warehouses have all since been packed and shipped to be delivered to the mansion. Even with Slade's help, such a task would take months to complete. Not to mention the butler was still obligated to complete his daily tasks of caring for the needs and requests of his employer and friend. To have someone unknown come into their new home was an uncharacteristic favor coming from the controlling and micromanaging man. Admittedly, Slade is not good at what he does, _he is the best_. His small paranoias have often proven to be mundane and even pointless, but Will had to admit how safe he felt knowing Slade always took such measures for the sake of their safety. To think he would risk a small crack in his potential security for Will's sake was heartwarming to the older man.

"Thank you, Slade," Wintergreen whispered before walking past his friend to retrieve another box.

Slade tensed for a moment, only relaxing when Will returned with another box in his arms and a small smile on his face. Slade released a breath he didn't realize he was holding, "Anything for a friend."


	2. Changes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your patience while I wrote this chapter. Please, let me know how I can better improve my writing as well as your reading experience. I realize the plot is slow moving but I intend to make this work a large one. So, buckle up readers, because I'll be glued to my computer consistently for what I pray will be a long time with this fiction. Let me know what you think so far; constructive criticism is more than welcome here! Again, thank you for reading. Stay safe, stay classy, stay you!  
> -Asmaru

Raven sat on her bed in a meditative stance. The magical relic was like ice in her hands as she stared at her reflection in its mirror. Her amethyst orbs stared back at her anxiously.

The mirror had been another gift from Azar. Before gifting it to the young sorceress, Azar himself used the mirror to aid in his meditations. When it was given to the demon girl, he further explained how she could use the item as a portal to her mind. Seeing as her emotions were always kept concealed along with their destructive powers, the mirror isolates her most primary emotions and gives them life.

Raven shook her head trying to collect her thoughts on that morning’s events. A headache began to form beneath her chakra making concentration a difficult task.

‘ _Alone_ ’. She could practically feel Timid trying to force the fear from the word to break her stone emotions. Though, Timid’s fear was a valid one. Her friends were all moving forward with their lives. Each of them had their personal hobbies and friends outside of the tower. Raven, on the other hand, found more solace in her books and staring at the bottom of a teacup. The only other _acquaintances_ she had were the owners of her favorite book stores and tea shops. Not that she had much interaction with them outside of her visits.

The thought of her friends being content with a life without her in it was unsettling. The Titans were her only real friends, her family. As much as the demoness found peace in her isolation from them, she always knew that sooner or later it would be interrupted by someone. Her isolation was never loneliness when her friends were around. However, with her friends' absence from the tower becoming more and more frequent, she couldn’t help but feel vulnerable.

The cold of the mirror began to spread from her hands to the rest of her body. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to slip away while chanting her mantra.

“Azarath metrion zinthos. Azarath metrion zinthos. Azarath metrion zin-” She continued to chant the words dully as her surroundings faded to black.

__________________________________________________________________

Cold stone chilled her back in a familiar way. She really should try to land on her feet when she visited Nevermore. Footsteps sounded around her as she stood to her feet. Her gray cloaked doppelganger stood shyly in front of her, “So, uh, our friends are leaving us?” Timid practically wailed inching away from the now blue caped demoness and no longer the unified embodiment of her emotions. Raven surveyed the red and gray atmosphere of her mind. Her different colored emoticlones were circled her, each with their characteristic emotions plastered into their beings.

One of her emoticlones exhaled slowly, “They aren’t leaving us, they just have more time to invest in their own lives now.” Intelligence pushed her yellow glasses up the bridge of her nose, “Timid, it’s only natural that heroes have hobbies outside of their hero work. They have a right to be individuals,” she approached the gray Raven placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“That doesn’t give them the right to _abandon_ us!” Rage growled, black tendrils surrounding her figure. Timid shrieked before diving behind Intelligence. “By all rights, we should remind them of our power! Without us they are weak. Without us, they would not have _any_ time to themselves!” The red Raven spat lifting her hand engulfed in black.

Raven faced her red self, eyes glowing white with power. “They are strong without me,” she retorted being sure to accent each word clearly, “they don’t really need me anymore.”

A hand grabbed Rage’s extended hand forcing it down despite a four-red-eyed glare of protest. Bravery stood between the two firmly, her other hand extended toward Raven in caution. “They are stronger than they once were. However, Rage is right,” the green vigilante glanced to Rage then back to Raven as she lowered her hands, “we are the strongest and they need us if they want to still have the freedom to pursue their own lives.”

The white in Raven’s eyes faded as they studied Bravery. Her green self was right. With her powers more developed over time, her strength and control were impressive beyond measure. It could easily be said she was the one who scared all of their frequent villains into staying behind bars or relocating elsewhere. Raven smirked. After all, Dr. Light was still in therapy from the time Rage got loose in her mind and drug the poor man into darkness.

She was _essential_ if her friends were going to have any chance of pursuing their own lives. Without her, criminals would easily resurface and wreak havoc onto Jump City again. Meaning any time to pursue personal activities would be shattered for the Titans. Also, another thought surfaced in her mind: they couldn’t be heroes forever. They, the Titans, needed ways to stay busy and useful to secure a fast-approaching future. They needed to secure a source of income as well as their own homes and friends to secure their lives after saving Jump City. Changeling would probably love the idea of staying home and doing nothing for the rest of his life, but Raven knew Nightwing and the others could hardly stay still when they had nothing of importance to do.

“So, I should find a way to occupy my time productively?” Her eyes darted to the brown and orange emoticlones lounging lazily on a nearby rock. Sloth and Rudeness were never big talkers. It took too much effort in their opinions.

Intelligence levitated over to Bravery and Rage with Timid following her. “I think it would be most beneficial if we did. If you found your own-” she pondered for a moment lifting her hand to her chin, “-activities outside of the tower to entertain, then you could return home to your friends without spending your days in isolation.”

Timid’s eyes widened, her hands tugging at Intelligence's cloak, “So we won’t be alone and... _vulnerable_ all the time?!?” Raven flinched at the word knowing the feeling to be true.

Ever since Trigon’s message was first delivered, she hated how vulnerable she felt in her isolation. She shuddered at the memory of iron-like hands gripping her shoulders as she looked out at the burning world she visioned to create. The man behind her haunted her dreams, and Nightwing’s. Even before he was gifted his pyrotechnic powers, he was an intimidating and powerful enemy. He could cripple minds with only a handful of words _and_ break a few of your bones in a single attack. Slade. The copper-and-black-toned mask was one she wished she could forget.

Her hand instinctively sought the scar at the base of the left side of her neck just above her shoulder. Raven had been flying away from the villain, the mark of Skath emblazed meticulously on his forehead. In her efforts to stop him, she compelled two buildings to close on him with her powers. Thinking she was safe, she stopped her escape to regain the breath she had lost. However, before she could recover, Slade had ripped through the buildings and tackled her to the top of a satellite building. Upon impact, one of the armor platings on the man’s hands made contact and burned a scar into her flesh. It was then she realized the man attacking her was no longer alive, but rather a living, burning incarnate of his death. Trigon filled him with the fires of power, burning the dead man from the inside out, it was a wonder she couldn’t smell flesh burning.

Never before had she felt so helpless. When she froze time to stop Slade, she phased Nightwing back into time with her as a means of safety, but even then, he still couldn't protect her. Since then, she never spent large quantities of time by herself. Not because she couldn’t be alone without having anxiety, but because she always feared that ‘the end’ really didn’t end when she defeated her father. Darkness was her nature, after all. It only seemed natural for her to be attacked at any moment for being what she is-  _a_   _monster_.

Not many of the residents of Jump City cared much for her, especially after the news was leaked that she brought on the end of the world to later save it. People tended to focus on the former incident more than the latter when regarding the demoness.

Maybe she _should_ find a way to spend her days outside of the tower. Anything beats the notion of being alone and at risk of feeling _helpless_. It’s not like she would be losing time with her friends anyways. She would be off doing...whatever, while her friends were out taking care of their obligations. They would still see one another every night, possibly even in the mornings too.

Raven shifted the weight on her feet. Each of her emoticlones was eyeing her expectantly. Passion and Happiness whispered something incoherent to one another before erupting into a fit of snorts and giggles. The demon raised one of her eyebrows quizzically, pushing the interaction into the back of her mind for later inspection, “So,” her usual monotone echoed through the circle, “what should we do with our free time?”

__________________________________________________________________

Slade rummaged through a series of boxes. The smell of new paint hung in the air as he haphazardly assembled his office. He had convinced Wintergreen to help him move his office furniture into the room, though, only on the condition he put the rest of his office together himself. It had taken a week for the two men to unload all three moving trucks. Unfortunately, their contents were placed in the closest available space rather than in their designated rooms. Even more unfortunate was the small series of other trucks that would come after the remainder of his belongings slowly regrouped from around the globe.

Slade reached behind and rubbed the base of his neck. ‘I really do need someone else to help put things in appropriate places.’ He exhaled slowly continuing his thoughts, ‘I’ll never be able to do my work if I can’t navigate my way through my own home.’ He clenched his jaw as his thoughts began to wander. Bringing someone to help meant bringing in the possibility of being exposed. All that he had worked for and accomplished could be taken away in an instant if anyone found out who he was. Truly, he prided himself on being the mysterious villain known by all, defeated by little to none. It comes in handy to be paranoid over the smallest of things. There was no one he did not know before he interacted with them; there was nothing he couldn’t see on his wide access of cameras and microphones placed strategically throughout Jump City- excluding inside Titans Tower- as well as all of his previous living areas.

Getting what he wanted always came easily when he knew exactly what to expect. He was a master in a variety of combat styles, a diverse number of strategies, and psychological analysis and manipulation. Moreover, he was educated, _very_ educated. His reading was significantly faster than the average man’s, that, and his photographic memory is practically infallible. He could read anything and be able to comprehend and remember its contents almost word for word. As a result, he had a vast selection of books at his disposal. He chuckled as he remembered Wintergreen’s exasperation when he realized one truck was mostly filled with boxes of books.

To Slade, _knowledge_ was _power_.

The tall man lifted his computer out of a box and began its assembly. How could he possibly think to let a _stranger_ into his home? It was a huge risk, possibly even a mistake. However, Wintergreen was his closest friend, dare he say he was his only semblance of a family. How could he expect the older man to do such a task with little to no help? He dragged a hand down his face, the computer fully operational on the large cherrywood desk. ‘Just one person, what harm could there be?’ Slade stroked his chin as he leaned back in his office chair.

It’s not like he couldn’t study whoever he chose. He would know who they were and their motives before they even stepped foot into his home. Yes. His cameras and abilities to hack government information were one of his strongest advantages.

He exhaled finally releasing his clenched jaw. Sitting up straight he began typing on his computer. He wrote up a vague job description and printed five copies. Then, he began surveying his video network to find the safest places to post the flyers. Small businesses should do the trick. They attract a scare number of people and depending on the business it can show the interests and some personality traits of its customers.

After a few short hours of studying a few small shops around Jump City, he found the most viable and safe options, as well as a few possible candidates. One candidate, however, stood out to him.

'Perhaps I won't need a flyer to find someone.' He grabbed the flyers from his printer and swiftly threw them into a paper bin to be shredded later. Slade leaned forward onto his desk, his chin resting on top of his elevated hands as he watched the camera footage pulled up on his monitors.

 

__________________________________________________________________

Raven slipped a small silver ear cuff onto her left ear, finishing her morning routine before she left the tower. She watched in her mirror as her appearance gradually changed. Her violet hair was replaced with dark walnut strands. Her eyes faded from amethyst to an icy sky blue. Finally, her gray skin slowly morphed from its usual gray to a lively pale color concealing her chakra beneath. The ear cuff had been a suggestion, believe it or not, by Batman. After he heard the news of the prophecy coming true, he knew there would be repercussions for the demon, even after she saved the world from Trigon. Though overbearing, Batman had been truly gracious to her. He researched a series of spells she could use to enchant an object in order to give her a human appearance. Even further, he created an entire alter identity for her. The man was meticulous and didn’t leave any details out for suspicion.

Her name was Rachel Roth, 24 years old, with a major in business and journalism and a minor in psychology. She attended a local high school in Jump City but since graduating from college, she spent most of her time writing from home and furthering her studies online. Her parents passed away a few years ago in a car accident on the Bay Bridge, leaving behind their fortune accumulated from being professors at a prestigious university, which Rachel “attended” for free as a result. She spent her childhood in a small town in Georgia before moving to Jump for her parents’ work.

Her alter identity had a flawless backstory thanks to the Dark Knight. He even purchased a house in town for her to “live” in. Really, he requested she teleport to the house before going into town with the cuff on to reduce suspicion from local residents.

All this, he did so that she may continue to have a life outside the tower _without_ receiving scrutiny from the locals who already didn’t like her before she destroyed the world. Nightwing may not care much for the Batman, but he had been instrumental for her life a few times now.

Raven adjusted the black long sleeve crop top, trying to pull it lower to conceal her abdomen. Her failed attempt pulled a sigh from her lips. She diverted her attention to the green jean shorts making sure her backside was appropriately covered. She walked into her closet again, returning with her black combat boots. She sat on her bed, slipping her feet inside and tying the laces with her powers. Though her outfit didn't cover her as much as she was used to, she was thankful Starfire forcefully encouraged her to buy the outfit. Even she had to admit, the outfit accented her muscles nicely while keeping her mostly modest, apart from her midriff showing. Checking to make sure the cuff was in place, she grabbed her book bag with her laptop and uniform inside just in case.

As expected, all of the other Titans were out tending to their own obligations. It had been a few days since Starfire told her about her new job. The alien princess had been diligent in being early for her duties of, ”...helping the vertically challenged.” Starfire always had a way of making things sound nicer than they were. Her positivity was almost infectious. Almost.

Nightwing was sitting at the counter with a file sitting next to his laptop. She walked to the fridge looking for something edible to eat.

“What case are you working on now?” Raven asked nonchalantly.

Nightwing sipped his coffee before responding, “A serial killer who killed six girls and two men.” He put his cup next to the file. “ It appeared there was next to no connection with the deaths and the case was dropped. I think they still have a connection that was missed.”

“What connection?” She questioned.

“I don’t know for sure-” he shook his head, crossing his arms in front of him, “-but I think it has something to do with the community college. They aren’t all students, but all of them had connections to locations nearby.” Nightwing stopped, looking at Raven’s appearance as she bit into a turkey sandwich.

“You’re going into town again.” He stated knowingly. It had been her fifth time that week she left the tower in search of a job. Knowing she would not likely receive a job being herself, Nightwing seethed knowing she would have to rely on the alter life which Batman made for her. He eyed her backpack on the floor, then the ear cuff. “I’m sorry you have to hide when you’re not with us. It must be a pain.”

Raven bit into her sandwich again, her brown eyebrow raising slightly. “I am what I am, the people have a right to be upset with me.” She reached to her neck and instinctively began stroking the scar tissue; a habit she developed when trying to organize her thoughts. “I don’t blame them for hating me.”

“Rae-” Nightwing stood up to grab her free hand, “-it’s not your fault. You didn’t have a choice.” Shocked by the sudden contact, Raven backed away quickly, her sandwich forgotten on the counter.

The sorceress took a deep breath to remind herself of the safe environment she was in. “That doesn’t mean I’m not a demon.” She sighed sadly. “I may have changed my destiny, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t change what I am.” It was true, after all. Blood tests and a multitude of chemical analyses could easily determine she wasn’t human. She was a demon, and she always would be, and everyone else would always detest her for it. You can’t change scientific facts, Nightwing of all people should understand this.

Pity slipped into Nightwing’s emotions, “Raven you’re not-”

“I’m not _what_?!” She interrupted violently, swinging her arm in front of her, “The daughter of an interdimensional demon?! A portal for the devil himself to destroy the world?!” Her voice dripped with venom daringly, eyes glowing white with power. “I am a monster! I was sired in darkness! I am inherently corrupt,-” she softened her voice, secretly wishing she had her hood to put up, “and there’s _nothing_ I can do to change it.” Her voice cracked on the last syllable, but her stone expression remained the same. The glow in her eyes faded as she registered the emotions emitting from her friend. Sadness, remorse, anger, and… fear.

Raven lowered her head before grabbing her backpack off the floor. “Thank you for thinking otherwise, but I can’t deny my heritage. I wish you wouldn’t either.” She approached Nightwing and placed a hand gently on his chest. “Richard,” he tensed at the use of his real name, “I’ll be back before dinner tonight.” She felt for the small feeling of relief inside of him and amplified it before walking to the center of the room. “Don’t let Changeling make dinner, you know how I hate tofu.” She turned back to face him, arms across her chest.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He smirked, allowing his posture to soften knowing she had just tampered with his emotions but not objecting to it being done. “Be safe, and call if you need anything.” He grabbed his coffee, stroking the handle thoughtfully, “ You know, just because we have our own lives doesn’t mean we won’t be able to be there for you.” The raven-haired vigilante smiled shyly.

“I know.” She breathed softly. Darkness surrounded her form, pulling it into the black abyss with her alternate “home” waiting for her. “Thank you, Richard.” She saw him nod with a smile before the darkness fully consumed her.

__________________________________________________________________

Hours passed, then days, yet the mercenary was glued firmly to his chair. The only exceptions being to relieve his bladder and to sleep, though his sleep was scarce. Will brought his food to him, knowing how obsessive his friend could be. That, and knowing better than to interrupt him during one of his obsessive studies.

Finally, after several internal battles, the stoic man gave way to his exhaustion and made a decision.

Will came into his office, a cup of coffee in hand. "Her." Slade's voice broke the silence in his office catching Will off guard for a moment. The coffee nearly spilling as he jolted at the sudden sound of his friend's voice. After regaining his composure he looked to Slade, placing the coffee on the desk for him.

"Her?" Will questioned, not fully understanding what Slade had said.

"I've chosen." Slade nodded towards his monitors, not taking his eyes off of the subject of his gaze. " _Her_."

Will looked to the monitors cautiously. The camera footage was selected with the same woman being the target of interest. A small smile formed on his lips as a thought crossed his mind. "She's rather beautiful, isn't sh-," he was cut off quickly.

"She's quiet and has few friends. No one would notice if I needed to  _eliminate_  her." His words were harsh, crude even. "I want you to pay her a visit." Slade's eyes still hadn't moved, his body tense. The man looked like a beast eyeing his prey. It was unsettling to Will, even after so many years of seeing him like this.

Will shifted, his hands obediently resting behind him as he spoke, "And if she refuses your offer?"

"She will not refuse." Slade countered quickly, his voice dark and unwavering. "I am certain of it."

Will looked from Slade back to the screen. "Do try to avoid killing her. I'd hate for anyone to die because I can't move a few boxes around without help."

The younger man turned, finally breaking his fixated stare. "If she discovers something she is not meant to then it can not be helped." He picked up the mug on his desk and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temple with his other hand as he sipped the coffee. Will was still standing next to him, a look of concern forming on his features.

Slade sighed. He had always worked to keep his killing down to a necessity when Will was involved. How could he live with himself knowing Will would live in guilt for the death of someone not even at his own hands? He was a gentle soul, even during their time of fighting together, but that was different. That was  _war_. This-, this is an  _innocent_  life. Will would take full responsibility for her death knowing he was the one who asked for help in the first place. Slade couldn't do that to Will, not again.

Slade stood, his legs adjusting to the weight on them. "Will," His voice was soft, a trait he was still learning to utilize, "If she remains an innocent, I'll not harm her." He stepped forward and placed a reassuring hand on Will's shoulder. He softened his voice further, trying his best to ease Will's mind, "You have my word." 

Will lifted his eyes to Slade's, his expression shifting to one of relief. A small smile crossed his face, "Thank you, Slade."

Slade dropped his hand from Will's shoulder and began to walk out of the office, his coffee in hand. "Let me know how your talk with her goes. There is a folder on my desk with everything you need to know and everything you are allowed to disclose to her."

"Of course, Master Wilson." Will picked up the folder and flipped through its contents before rushing to the destination specified inside.

Slade watched from the windows as Will drove down the driveway of their home. His anxieties took hold again as he made his way to his room. A series of 'what if's' popped into his mind as he readied himself for his day.

' _Enough_. I have more pressing matters to worry about.' With that, he shook all previous thoughts from his mind.

Now, he only prayed he had not made a mistake.

__________________________________________________________________

The walls in Rachel’s home were blinding as Raven opened her eyes. The creamy walls contrasted with the gray L-shaped couch in the corner of the room. The soft gray and light brown pillows remained in a showcase position on the couch along with the rest of the house’s interior design. Apart from teleporting to the home to protect her identity, Raven hardly used the home. She would have boxes shipped regularly containing new books or even clothes and other items for Rachel to use so hardly anything could be traced back to her super-self. Batman was truly insistent on this method of purchasing items. It helped maintain that someone did, in fact, live there, and her clothes that were ordered were exclusive to Rachel’s use. Sometimes she would cook a small meal or take a shower, but outside of necessity and a facade, the home was still in mint condition from minimal use. It was an annoying and even tedious arrangement, but the demon was easily swayed by such conditions when reminded of the possible repercussions if she didn’t follow them.

Her heavy boots thudded against the dark wood floor as she walked through the kitchen and to the front room. She opened the front door, checking that her house key was on her keychain. Before leaving, she checked her appearance in a nearby mirror. Still, Rachel. She breathed deeply, locking the door behind her.

Sunlight graced her skin with a pleasant warmth as she walked down the sidewalk. Summer was in full swing and her skin couldn’t be happier. Her dark hair absorbed the warmth greedily, permeating her scalp beneath. She smiled, her thoughts finding peace in the simple pleasure.

She reached into her pocket and connected a pair of white earbuds to her phone, setting the music to an indie playlist full of acoustic guitars, pianos, and ukeleles. People passed her on the street without any hint of question or disgust in their facial expressions. Even when Raven reached out to feel their emotions, they were truly ambivalent about her presence. She would occasionally feel someone curious about her, or even attracted or intimidated by her. But no one _feared_ her. It was a luxury she was still adjusting to, even after years of parading around Jump City as Rachel Roth.

The human-appearing-demon approached a nearby tea shop. It was small, but it was among her favorites in town. A small girl at the counter waved to her with a warm grin. Happiness radiated from the girl at her presence. She truly did appreciate the kindness the smaller woman showed her. It was what made this tea shop her favorite. Raven removed her earbuds and smiled graciously. “Good morning, Kendall.” She approached the counter shrugging her backpack onto one shoulder while digging for her wallet.

“Good morning, Rachel! How are you today?” The pixie cut girl chided. She must be a freshman or sophomore in college from her appearance.

“I’m well, thank you, and yourself?” Raven used her polite ‘Rachel’ voice, almost thankful for the stress it took away from her vocal cords.

Kendall began moving behind the counter, already knowing what Rachel wanted. “I’m great! Just busy with work and my classes as always.” Kendall stood for a moment, holding a cup of milk beneath the hiss of a steamer. “Are you still looking for a job?”She pulled the cup away and began to pour its contents into another cup expertly.

Raven shrugged, “It’s hard to find a job I’d like. You know I’m not much for talking with strangers every day. “ The small girl snorted, sliding a steaming cup to Rachel before taking her extended debit card- another courtesy of the Dark Knight.

“I put in the good word about you to my boss-” she handed back the card placing the receipt in the bin next to her., “-he said we’re already overstaffed.” Kendall frowned slightly, her emotions flipping from happiness to a small flicker of regret.

“Thank you, I appreciate you helping either way.” Raven grabbed her cup and sauntered over to her usual corner table. Call it a habit, or paranoia, but she always preferred to be able to see everything in the room with a single glace. She would see people come and go about their days. She could study their emotions and how they swirled with whoever they were with at the time. Admittedly, she loved people watching. It always amazed her how much you can tell about a stranger from the smallest of things. Their clothes, the people they talked to, their posture, even their choice of drink had something to tell.

Raven sat at her table and began to set up her laptop. She had seen a great number of things in this little tea shop. The majority of the shop’s population consisted of collegiate students, while the rest varied between businessmen, friends meeting up to catch up, or friends meeting to settle disagreements. Whatever their reasons, it was never a challenge for the empath to read and understand a person without hearing their conversations or knowing anything about their life. No one was a mystery to her.

She sipped her milk tea, careful not to burn her tongue. Vanilla and lavender invaded her senses, filling her with a calm warmth. The empath pondered for a moment. How many people had been watching her? What could they tell of her? Could they read her beyond surface-level assumptions? Could Kendall read her? She took another sip of her tea.

On her laptop, she scrolled through a variety of job sites, hoping to find something that matched her interests and her skillset.

She sat for hours typing at her computer. Kendall was kind enough to refill her tea twice, she even spent one of her breaks talking to Rachel. Unlike so many others, Kendall had always been kind to her. Rachel was the one who allowed such a presence of kindness into her life outside the tower. Rachel could almost call Kendall a friend with how they exchanged friendly banters and conversations. From an outside perspective, such a fact could easily be inferred. Perhaps that was something people could read about her. After all, she hardly spoke with anyone outside of necessity. If they regularly visited the tea shop they could assume Rachel came there for her friend and not for a quiet place to do her work.

Raven leaned back in her chair clutching her teacup with both hands. Finding a place where she could easily conceal her emotions and her powers was a challenge. Most jobs in line with her “degrees” heavily depended on working with others in one form or another. She placed her tea back onto the table. Her abilities with her powers may have grown stronger over the years, her patience with others, however, was another story. She had grown used to most of the Titans and their varying disturbances to her concentration. Not everyone was like the Titans though. She could handle their antics with a flick of her wrist or a steady glare and such disturbances would cease immediately. She couldn’t use those methods in a workplace setting though, as much as she would like to.

The chestnut-haired woman rubbed her temples, closing her eyes as a headache began to form beneath where her chakra would be. She didn’t notice the girl at a table across the shop biting the inside of her lip while her male counterpart spoke to her. Nor did she notice the group of friends looking to one another when Kendall asked the group to lower their voices. Had it not been for a sudden vibrancy of emotions, she would not have noticed the older man sitting across from her.

“Rachel?” The man asked gently. Her eyes flicked open, sizing up the well-dressed man that sat before her. He was older, perhaps in his mid-forties. His short hair had hints of brown and gray swirling together in a combed over military style. His face was gentle, soft cheekbones and a rounded jawline with deep-set golden eyes. He had age-appropriate wrinkles tugging at the corners of his mouth and eyes, some even forming just above his brow.

Raven raised an eyebrow, leaning forward, taking her cup in hand. “Yes?” She asked pointedly, wondering why this man she had never met was using her “name”.

The man in question placed his hands on the table, hands clasped in front of him. “Forgive my intrusion, but I believe I may have something of interest to offer you.” The man scooted his chair forward gently, not taking his eyes off of her. “My name is William Wintergreen. I hear you are in search of employment.”


	3. Control

The sound of gloved hands hitting a punching bag filled the room. The supporting chains rattled violently with every blow. Each punch was dense with power, the bag almost absorbing the strong fists behind them. 

 

Slade had woken early to begin his morning routine. As per usual, a vigorous workout ensued. Barbells were used and abused as were the rest of the machines in one of the spacious basements. 

 

The man grunted as his strikes began to progressively become stronger. The chains rattled angrily against their restraints. ‘Time to wrap this up.’ He thought to himself. He threw several hard jabs in a combination followed by a swift heel kick. Unsurprisingly, the sand-filled bag burst on impact and was sent flying against the padded wall behind it. 

 

He stood for a moment, focusing to regulate his breathing as he wiped his dripping brow with the back of his hand. From beside him, a small white towel appeared in his peripheral view. 

 

“I am glad to see you’ve set up most of your gym equipment, sir.” Wintergreen gave an amused smile as Slade took the towel. The stronger man nodded his appreciation and began wiping the sweat from his body. 

 

Slade chuckled, “You should know I’m far too stubborn to skip my training.” He surveyed their surroundings. The best machines and equipment filled the room: cardio machines, a squat rack, cable machines of all muscle groups, benches, dumbbells, as well and barbells alike littered the room in a chaotic yet organized fashion. “It’s not finished though. I’m missing my favorite piece of equipment.”

 

“Yes, perhaps Rachel can help you set it up when it comes in the mail.” Will extended his hand taking the towel from the larger man. “Though, it won't be here for another day or so.” The fact that the older man needed help with their current belongings was bad enough, but to think Slade was still ordering more things to put around the home was ludicrous! 

 

The house was simply a ploy to give off the illusion of permanent residence for Vincent Wilson. The world recognized him as a well-known businessman to par with Bruce Wayne, meaning the world was always watching him. If he took up residency in Jump City while Slade Bots continued in Tokyo, there could be no correlation between his two identities. His criminal self would be assumed to be in Tokyo, while his other self would clearly be seen in Jump working on his latest projects.

 

The Titans had long discovered Tokyo’s Commander of the Tokyo Police,  Uehara Daizo was creating his own criminals through the captivity of an urban legend, Brushogun. Meaning it was practically child's play for Slade to do his criminal work in the larger city as well as exploiting it for other purposes. 

 

Having his identity safe meant he had the freedom to do as he pleased without hiding in the shadows. It is a freedom Slade and even Will are thankful to have, especially after everything they had endured together. 

 

“I will trust your judgment of her for now, but  _ I  _ will decide if she is worth keeping around.” He balled his fists. Slade cringed at the thought of a stranger helping him instead of Will. He secretly wished he had let the punching bag stay in one piece so he could let his frustration out. Instead, he began his route to his bedroom.

 

“Come now, Slade, you did her background check yourself  _ and _ watched her daily activities for three days.” Will chuckled softly as he followed the man. “ She keeps to herself most of the time, she’s strong enough for the labor, and she seldom leaves her home,” He counted on his fingers after each statement to further his point, “ If anyone is perfect to help me without exposing you, it’s her.” 

 

Slade continued his gait, glancing to Will’s hand for a brief moment. ‘Rachel Roth.’ Slade thought to himself. ‘She is inexplicably a curiosity.’ 

 

The halls stretched endlessly, twisting and turning to various spaces full of boxes and furniture yet to be assembled. Light flooded in through the windows, illuminating the heather gray walls to a lighter color. The pair walked in momentary silence as the paranoia began to resurface in the mercenary’s thoughts.

 

Slade halted in front of his door and turned to Will, “She’s almost  _ too _ perfect.” He contemplated out loud,  “Anything that is perfect is a means for suspicion.” 

 

Will shrugged slightly, “Yes, well, I will leave the suspicion and paranoia for you to worry about.” He patted Slade on the back, letting it rest on his shoulder for a moment. “ You’ve always been more tactile and devious when it comes to these things.” Dropping his hand, Will began to turn away calmly. “Though, I must insist you try to see past the possibility that she wants to see you arrested,” a hidden smile tugged at his lips, “She’s a rather lovely woman with an interesting mind. You might even get along with her.”

 

Slade rolled his eyes. “I’ll be to breakfast after I've cleaned up.” He said evenly, dismissing Will’s previous banter.

 

“Of course,” Will waved his hand as he walked down the hall, the other hand placed characteristically  behind his back, “I have breakfast in the kitchen for you already, just warm it up when you're ready.” Slade opened the door to his room but waited to step inside. Will continued, “ I told Rachel I would be picking her up soon. I thought it best for security purposes.”

 

“Naturally,” Slade responded cynically as he continued inside his room. “Let me know when she gets here.” He shut the door behind him, walking across the vast room to his bathroom. He began to shed his workout clothing, depositing them in a black hamper in his bathroom. 

 

The marble floor tiles were cool on his bare feet. If it hadn’t been for his self-control, he would have inhaled sharply at the contact. He navigated to the center of the room where a large shower was encased with nothing but clear glass windows on three sides and a heather gray tile wall closest to the door of the bathroom. He turned to his left and pulled the shower door open and closed it carefully behind him, skin raising into goosebumps at the feeling of the colder air inside. He turned the rose-colored stainless steel handle and allowed warm water to wash the goosebumps and sweat from his skin. 

 

He exhaled a sigh of relief as warmth covered his aching muscles and finally un-clenched his fists. He began to massage his knuckles in amusement. 

 

Wintergreen had a way of keeping him on edge. Whether the old man did so intentionally or not was still unclear, however. For months now Will had been rambling on about the same thing. Something about being a workaholic and needing friends and social life to stay sane. Who knows what Will was so fixated on, but Slade had no desire nor the time to waste making  _ friends _ . In his line of work, there were no friends. Even in business. Everyone watched out for themselves and always had a scapegoat. At least, all of the  _ intelligent  _ people did. Never trust a man who says he’s your friend and  _ always  _ make him prove it instead. That was the rule with business as it was with killing for hire. 

 

His rough hands found the shampoo bottle and began massaging the suds into his soft brown hair. He wouldn’t say he had a preference when it came to his personal hygiene, but it was safer to have items without scent. Having a scent meant leaving behind evidence at a crime scene, even if it was slight. Though, with his current focus being on his public life, his scent was hardly an issue. Wintergreen had made that clear by purchasing the brown Redken bottles of hair products and placing them on his desk. The scent was nothing special; earthy with a mixture of essential oils, most prominently being the scent of pine and cedarwood. After rinsing the shampoo from his hair, he applied the matching conditioner sparingly. 

 

He eyed the gray tiles on the floor as the water ran through his hair again. Reaching his right hand up behind his head, he held the base of his neck. Soapy suds surrounded his feet before running down the drain. He breathed in deeply releasing an exasperated breath a moment later. ‘She’s just a college girl in need of a job. What harm could she do?’

 

He reached up to comb the rest of the conditioner from his hair. He grabbed a red loofah and drizzled on a portion of body wash. As he scrubbed his body, he dissected his anxieties in his mind. ‘Why doesn’t she leave her home more? Does she have any friends? Why doesn’t she find a job in her career field? Perhaps she’s focused on a heavy class load? Maybe she’s still mourning the death of her parents? Maybe she’s like me and has no time for friends?’ 

 

He finished scrubbing the remaining sweat from his skin and began to rinse the masculine scented soap from his limbs. He returned to his thoughts, ‘No, that's not right. She has friends, but she doesn’t see them outside of their respective workplaces. Why is that?’ 

 

A shadow hung over him as his thoughts came to conclusion, or rather, a lack thereof. He turned the water off and reached for a soft red towel outside the shower door. ‘Blast. I know everything about this woman, and yet I know  _ nothing  _ about her…’ He dried his body, wrapping the towel around his waist before stepping towards one of the sinks in front of the shower door. The black granite was cold on his hand while his other hand rummaged the white drawers beneath. He extracted the items of need and began his hygiene routine.

 

Perhaps he chose Rachel because of his lack of knowledge on her. He could tell most of her daily routine: who she talked to, where she most enjoyed spending her days, who her parents were, where she lived and for how long. He even knew the name of her kindergarten teacher from Georgia before her parents moved! All these things, and yet her personality was unreadable. Her motives in life were hazy and he could do little to no research on the people she associated herself with to discover more about her. 

 

‘A curiosity indeed.’ He mused sardonically to himself as he finished applying a small amount of pomade to his hair. After styling his hair into a tapered spiky style, he moved to the brushing and flossing of his teeth. 

 

Why was he still thinking about this?  _ He chose her. _ ‘I don’t make mistakes.’ He reminded himself as he returned his hygiene items to their designated drawer. He grabbed the electric razor on the counter. ‘I’ve made miscalculations, but never a mistake of grandiose magnitude.’ He began to trim his overnight beard and goatee to a skin close length; enough to be seen, but not enough to be grabbed by hand. ‘She will not disrupt any of my plans, even if she wants to. She is simply  an  _ accessory _ .’ He placed the razor back onto the counter and cleaned his trimmings with a washcloth. ‘No one will notice if I need to take matters into my own hands. She is easily expendable.’

 

Satisfied with his grooming, he walked across the hall in his bedroom to his closet. He walked with ease across the dark wood floor to the end of the room. To think his closet was so vast it classified as its own room was baffling. He reached one of the smaller cabinets where a wide variety of white button-down dress shirts hung. He selected the closest shirt and threw it unceremoniously onto a gray bench sitting parallel to the right wall of the closet in front of a large mirror and vanity. He then pulled one of the black drawers from beneath the cabinet and selected a cotton undershirt that joined the button down on the bench. He turned to a cabinet to his left and opened another black drawer and selected a pair of black boxer shorts. Swiftly, he discarded his towel to another laundry basket next to the bench against the wall. He quickly slid the boxers on followed by a black pair of slacks from the cabinet next to him. 

A sigh escaped his lips, tilting his head back and glaring at the ceiling. “Looks like I need to buy new slacks again.” He wiggled, to his dismay, into his slacks until he was fully covered. He grabbed the undershirt and slipped it over his head, tucking it into his pants before slipping on the button down. “Shirts too it seems,” Slade grumbled to himself as he removed the undershirt to give him a wider range of motion. He then forced the button down over his arms, careful not to rip the seams. He buttoned the shirt, leaving the top two undone so he could breathe properly. He then tucked in his shirt to his pants before zipping them and looping a black belt around his hips. He straightened the small silver buckle before un-tucking a small portion of his shirt to appear more proper. Finally, he located a pair of black socks from a drawer and sat on the bench while he slipped them over his feet, followed by a shiny pair of black dress shoes. 

 

He stood from the bench and turned to face the mirror. Casual, but professional. He did not want to intimidate the poor girl, though, Slade was a dominating person and he intended on making it  _ undeniably  _ clear. He straightened out his collar and rolled his sleeves to his elbows as a final touch, internally scolding himself for not asking Will to buy more clothes for him. 

 

He didn’t realize how long it had been since his business attire was needed. Now, his arms bulged in his shirt and his legs were easily outlined by his pants. Not that he was ashamed by his physique, but should a physical altercation occur, his movement would be hindered to a degree until he finally tore through the clothing. 

 

He shook his head lifting his left hand to his temple. ‘Nothing is going to happen.’ He leaned forward against the white vanity, palms curling slightly around the edge in front of him. His reflection stared back at him as his thoughts began to take form. 

 

‘Well, a  _ few  _ precautions won’t hurt.’

 

He reached into one of the vanity drawers and added a final touch to his attire before making his way to the kitchen. 

 

__________________________________________________________________

  
  


Raven placed her tea kettle on the stove carefully. The emotions of her friend bounced against her thoughts as she turned around. 

 

“So, uh, I guess you found a job?” Changeling shifted uncomfortably at the breakfast counter drinking the last of his soy milk. 

 

The empath stepped forward and leaned against the counter, positioning her elbows and forearms flat against the creamy marble. “That’s what everyone wanted me to do, right?” Black engulfed a tea thermos and placed it on the counter by the kettle followed by a tea infuser with her favorite tea. 

 

Changeling shrugged his shoulders lightly. “Well yeah, I just didn’t expect you to find something so quickly,” the shapeshifter considered his words carefully, “you’re not exactly  _ thrilled  _ when it comes to working in a group setting.” 

 

Raven eyed the green man, suddenly fascinated with the remaining droplets of soy milk at the bottom of his glass. Apart from the Titans, she never worked with anyone. Unsurprisingly, no one else was willing or able to labor beside her without driving someone to the brink of an emotional breakdown or risking bringing Hell to Earth again. 

 

The demoness had never been one for change. She enjoyed the comfort in knowing what to expect every day; at least to some degree. She enjoyed fighting beside the Titans as well as living with them. Granted, the first few years together were gruesome as each Titan adjusted to the behaviors and living habits of the others. Sharing one bathroom was a relatively easy fix compared to learning to live with constant yelling, arguing, and the smell of dirty socks. After a while though, ground rules were set, private bathrooms were installed, general cleanliness regulations were implemented- primarily for Changeling- and everyone began to adapt; some faster than others.

 

It took years for the young sorceress to adjust to a permanent residence on a new world in a new dimension. After being sent away from Azarath, Raven found no desire to adapt to her new home’s societal customs. Earth truly was a poor substitute for the peace and constant state of meditation of her homeworld. Why the monks of Azarath thought it best to send her to a loud and obnoxious world was beyond her. Though, they must have gotten something right considering the universe wasn’t reduced to ashes. 

 

The kettle began to steam violently. Raven walked over and turned off the heat before pouring the boiling water into her thermos along with the tea infuser. “No,” she began to stir the infuser, “I don’t work well with strangers.” Changeling looked up from his empty glass to his friend. Concern radiated from him, as well as confusion. “This job though, I’ll only be working with two other people,” she squeezed some honey into the thermos and resumed stirring, “One of which I’ll hardly ever see.” 

 

Living at the tower now was ideal for her. She found solace in knowing the depths of which her friends would go for her- quite literally. It was slightly unnerving to think she would be stepping outside of her daily routine.

 

Mr. Wintergreen was vague in his summary of her work obligations, but he made it clear that Mr. Wilson was a busy man and she may hardly ever see him. Mr. Wintergreen was brief in his details of him, though, his words were not abrasive when considering his employer. In fact, they carried a weight of devotion and care.

 

“But are you happy with your choice?” Changeling stood with his dirty dishes in his hands. “You don’t even know anything about the guy you’re working for.” He began to wash his dishes in the sink- one of the basic cleanliness requirements of the team to prevent dishes from piling up. Starfire once took it upon herself to use the mold on the plates as a key ingredient in one of her cooking experiments. Suffice it to say, the alien concoction was thrown away at the earliest opportunity by Cyborg so as to prevent the team from ending up in the med bay for the remaining week. 

 

Raven placed the lid on her thermos and sipped her tea. “I know enough. He’s private and not much for socializing with strangers.” Changeling stepped aside, his dishes cleaned and resting in the dish drain. Raven washed the tea infuser quickly before doing the same as Changeling with his dishes. “This job is perfect for me, even if it’s only for a few months.”

 

Changeling raised an eyebrow as he leaned his back against a counter to face her. “What exactly  _ is  _ your job, Rae?” He folded his arms across his chest suspiciously. 

 

“I-  uh,-” her cheeks flushed slightly in embarrassment, “-I don’t really know exactly. I think I’m  a temporary housekeeper?” She truly didn’t know how to explain her job to her friends.

 

Changeling shifted his weight to his other leg but remained silent. 

 

The empath sipped her tea while curiosity drifted into her senses from Changeling’s stare. “Mr. Wilson just moved and he needs help assembling his belongings.” She held her thermos in both hands as she organized her words. “As I said, he’s a private guy. He doesn’t want a bunch of strangers in his home.” Raven hoped Changeling could empathize with the man. The Titans wouldn’t feel comfortable with a bunch of strangers in the Tower, is it so wrong for her employer to feel the same way about his home?

 

Laughter echoed through the room for a moment as Changeling hugged his midsection. “So-,” he gasped, “-he chooses a- a little girl to lift heavy things for him?!?” He slapped his hand on the counter as his laughter continued, tears forming in his eyes. 

 

Raven glared daggers at the man before her. He may have grown in age but he still acts like his old childish self. ‘I can’t believe I once thought I had a  _ thing _ for him.’ 

 

Rage simmered inside of her at the memory. Beast Boy was a funny guy back then and he had some moments of genuine kindness for her. Like it or not, she enjoyed his company. His jokes made Happiness dance inside her mind and the empath assumed it must be a special connection between them. However, after consulting her emoticlones in Nevermore, it was concluded that the man was able to make her laugh, but Passion was adamant that nothing more could be developed beyond that. It was moments like these when she was reminded why. 

 

The laughter continued as she placed her thermos onto the counter quietly. In one swift motion, she took a single step toward Changeling and grabbed the collar of his uniform tightly. The laughter stopped, but Raven didn’t. Quickly, she pulled the man to his feel eliciting a wide-eyed response from him. She wasn’t done. She wrapped her fist in his uniform further and lifted him into the air, her arm fully extended above her. Her monotone spoke volumes above his cries of protest, “You think I am not strong enough to move some furniture around?” His feet desperately reached to touch the safety of the floor as his hands gripped hers desperately. His breathing came in hard labored breaths as he struggled against her hold. “Am I still a  _ little girl _ now!?” She growled louder as Rage spoke for her now. Red eyes opened on the empath’s face, contorting it into something evil. 

 

The color in Changeling’s face faded, turning his bright green skin into a sickly pale color. His eyes were still wide as fear radiated from him. Rage smiled at his response to her power. Black engulfed several objects in the room and began to levitate them throughout the room, careful not to break anything. This wasn’t about the magnitude of power, this was about control.  _ She  _ was in total control. 

 

Changeling trembled in her grasp. Darkness dripped from her form making the room appear darker. “R-Rae!?!” Changeling squealed helplessly. He was too afraid to shapeshift away from her, she didn’t need to be an empath to tell. Rage grinned, her fangs protruding from her mouth menacingly. The green man flailed against her but it was no use, her grip on him only grew stronger the more he struggled. 

 

Rage lifted her head back and howled as a sinister laugh erupted from her devilish mouth. White teeth shone like razor blades in the remaining light in the room. He struggled more aggressively but to no avail. “ RAVEN!!!” He screamed her name before the sound of her laughter faded. She looked back to him, the glow of her eyes illuminating the horror in his face as she gazed at him. 

 

‘Enough, Rage. You’ve made your point.’ 

 

Raven’s eyes returned to their previous violet color and stared into the green eyes above her. The floating objects were returned to their previous places carefully as the light in the room returned to normal. Changeling was gasping above her as his senses returned to him. 

 

Silence filled the room, but Raven continued to hold the man. She didn’t need her powers to be strong, and she wanted him to admit it. 

 

Another minute passed. Neither one of them spoke, but Raven held her glare dominantly. Finally, Changeling tilted his head to the left and downwards to the floor in defeat, “I’m sorry. You’re not a little girl.” He sighed regretfully. “You’re super strong...definitely stronger than me.” Raven lowered him to the ground slowly.

 

“Don’t be silly-,” she moved her hand to his shoulder cautiously, “-all of us are strong in different ways. That’s why we work as a team. We need one another.” The shapeshifter continued to stare at the floor but a small smile formed on his face. “I’m… sorry for scaring you. I won’t ever hurt you Gar, please know that.” He lifted his eyes to hers as her voice softened, “But- I don’t like when you poke jokes at my abilities.”

“Raven’s right.” The pair turned to the man sitting at the breakfast counter. Nightwing sipped a cup of coffee as he placed his laptop on the counter. “It’s okay to make jokes, but don’t joke about serious things, Changeling. You’ll end up in trouble if you do.”

 

The green man blushed, “Right.” He turned to Raven and nodded quickly to her, “Sorry about that Rae. Uh, I’m going to head out now, I’m already a little late.” Changeling practically sprinted to the door. “I’ll see ya later!” The metallic doors barely opened fast enough before he transformed into a cheetah in the hall. The doors closed swiftly behind him, leaving the two birds of the tower to their own devices. 

 

Raven picked up her thermos from the counter. Nightwing continued to set up his laptop casually. His emotions were the usual calm and focused auras that were signature to the masked hero. She didn’t understand why. The last time she was upset he radiated fear. Now, however, it was as if he had not felt her rage through their bond. Though she would always deny it, she never wanted anyone to be afraid of her. She knew she was a monster, it was a proven fact actually. To deny her demonic heritage would be to deny the truth. Though, that didn’t mean she enjoyed being treated as though she were an enemy.

 

“How much of that did you see?” She sipped her tea again, eyes glued to Nightwing’s expression. 

 

As far as the Titans went, Nightwing knew her better than anyone. There had been many times where he would intervene on her behalf when she was too stubborn to speak up for herself. Other times he would be the last to complain when she would refuse to participate in team activities. The most prominent example being her birthday all those years ago. When the others argued that her birthday should be celebrated, Robin, at the time, said nothing and listened to her emotions through their bond. Because of that, he is typically the first one to know when something is wrong with the dark woman. 

 

Over the years, Nightwing had been able to use the bond more and more. Sometimes Raven would regret linking their minds, but had she not, Robin would have been lost to his own insanity. Besides, the bond had its perks for her too. 

 

Nightwing placed his elbows on the counter, his arms upright so his chin could rest upon his hands. “I saw enough.” He said nonchalantly, quickly looking her over. “I thought you started work today. Or are you just coming from an early workout?” He nodded to her slightly, pulling her attention to her clothes.

 

“Oh, right. Wintergreen told me to wear something I would be comfortable moving things in. So I just-,” her words trailed off as she gestured to the burgundy training leggings and a white dry-fit tank top. 

 

Nightwing nodded again. “Then why are you wearing makeup?”

 

Raven blushed, she wasn’t used to wearing makeup. Admittedly, the Titans had only seen her wear some on rare occasions, usually pertaining to undercover missions or nights out with the team. “I guess I thought it would be more professional if I did.” She shrugged, trying her hardest to hide the embarrassment in her voice.

 

Nightwing smiled as he reached out for his coffee, “You look beautiful. I’m sure Rachel will be as well when you put the ear cuff on.” He took a long sip from his coffee as he stared back at her.

 

Her mouth gaped open slightly as her face began to turn a darker shade of red. ‘That jerk! He can’t possibly be serious.’ She shook her head before she sipped her tea. She hoped the lavender would help to calm her emotions. “Maybe I should take it off then, I can’t be blushing every time a man says something stupid like that to me.” Honestly, hell would have to freeze over for her to accept such a compliment without skepticism. 

 

Nightwing placed his cup back on the counter and leaned back in his chair. He reached behind and rubbed the back of his neck shyly. “No, I think you should wear it more often. You deserve to be complimented more.” He paused for a moment, eyes searching the floor for some unknown reason, “If someone else doesn’t, you know Starfire would be more than happy to do so.”

 

The empath reached out to him through their bond. His thoughts flowed freely to her like a river from a mountain stream. A memory from that morning played out in her mind.

 

_ ****************************************************************** _

 

_ “Richard, why do you not compliment friend Raven the way you do me?” Richard sighed as though this was not the first time they had talked about this.  _

 

_ “Because I don’t love Raven the way I love you. She’s a sister to me and an amazing friend.” He reached across the bed and put his hand on her shoulder. “I compliment you as a way to show my affection for you. I don’t want you to think I have affection for anyone else.” _

 

_ The alien rolled closer to him, wrapping his arm around her as they cuddled. “Can one compliment  another without having romantic affection for them?”  _

 

_ “I suppose so, I just choose not to because I want it to be for you. You’re special to me Kori.” He tightened his grip on her waist, bringing her closer.  _

 

_ “But Raven is special too, and she is beautiful?” She questioned slowly as she traced her fingers across the sheets next to her.  _

 

_ Richard sighed again, “She is but-”. _

 

_ “Then you should tell her. I will not be hurt.” Her hand clenched softly as her eyes began to well with tears, “I fear she does not know she is beautiful.” Kori whispered softly as her hand unclenched and began tracing the sheets again. _

 

_ Richard froze, his cerulean eyes gazing upon the princess in his arms.  _ His  _ princess.  _

 

_ “As you wish, my love.” He lifted his hand and wiped the tears from her eyes. “However, there will come a time where I can no longer do so.” _

 

_ She turned and stared at him, her emerald eyes wide with wonder. “What day is that, Richard?” _

 

_ Richard chuckled softly, tucking her red hair behind her ear. “You’ll know when it comes, I promise.” He smiled before kissing her forehead, causing Kori to do the same. _

 

_ ****************************************************************** _

  
  


Raven’s eyes opened slowly, amethyst irises meeting Nightwing’s masked gaze. ‘Even out of uniform he still wears a mask.’ She glanced away, averting her stare to the thermos in her hands. “Richard you don’t have to-”

 

“You’re beautiful Raven,” He interrupted, cocking his head to the left slightly, “even when you’re angry.” He said playfully. 

 

Her mouth gaped again causing him to smile. Satisfied with her reaction, he reached for his coffee again and began typing on his computer.

 

Her cheeks were on fire. He really didn’t have to tell her this. She couldn’t care less if people thought she was attractive or not. She actually would have preferred the latter when she remembered the  _ explicit _ contents of the majority of her fan mail. ‘Wait.’ A realization struck her.

 

“Even when I’m angry?” She put a hand on her hip knowing what he really meant. “Then you saw  _ all  _ of earlier, yet, you’re not even the slightest bit concerned?” She glared suspiciously, “That’s not like you.” Typically, whenever her emotions surfaced, Nightwing was the first one to take action to keep Hell from coming to Earth again. Why wasn’t he doing the same now? Even more concerning, why wasn’t he afraid?

 

“I’m never afraid of you, Rae.” 

 

Her eyes went wide. ‘How did he-’. Nightwing lifted his index finger to his temple, reminding her of the bond. ‘Right’. She had almost forgotten how skilled he was at accessing their bond.

 

“I’m never afraid of you, but sometimes-,” he shifted in his seat,”-sometimes I fear  _ for  _ you. I know you’re still figuring out your place on Earth and how you can and can’t feel, I just never want you to take your mind to dark places like you’ve done in the past.”

 

Raven nodded in understanding. In the past when her emotions ran wild she would isolate herself for days. She wouldn’t eat, she barely drank anything, all she did was meditate until her emotions were contained. Worse, if the Titans were needed, she would lose focus and render her powers useless, putting herself and her team at risk. She wasn’t proud of how she coped with her emotions, but isolated meditation was the norm for her on Azarath. Needless to say, she was still adjusting. “Then why aren’t you afraid now?” She lifted her hand to her neck finding the scar there. 

 

Nightwing stood, empty coffee mug in hand as he walked to get more. He never added sugar or cream, he preferred his coffee black, something Starfire was still bewildered by. The raven-haired man leaned against the counter, both hands holding his mug of hot coffee. He stared absentmindedly at his reflection in the dark liquid, “I knew you were in control.” He stated casually. “You haven’t actively lost control for months, and before that, you’ve been able to bring yourself back down without meditation.” He turned to her slowly. “You’ve gotten so much stronger, your power almost has no limitations.”

 

Raven could feel the admiration coming from him, as well as a hint of jealousy and self-doubt. She knew his struggle to feel as though he deserved to be a Titan. He was the only one without powers, but he was diligent in training as well as his leadership. His martial arts skills could arguably be superhuman, not to mention his sharp mind and observation skills. She could not do what he did, not without help at least. He had nothing to be jealous of her for.

 

The sorceress stepped closer to him, touching his arm ever so slightly. She didn’t need words to know that alone helped his confidence return slowly. ‘I wouldn’t be here without my family.’ She pushed the thought through their bond. After a brief moment, he looked up to her and smiled. Calm returned to his emotions and he walked back to his computer.

 

“I’ll see you later tonight, okay?” She reached onto the counter and grabbed the ear cuff. 

 

Nightwing sat in his chair. “Can I ask you something first?” He looked to her as the magic cuff changed her appearance.

 

Rachel responded quizzically, “What is it?” She grabbed her backpack from the floor and slung it over her shoulders. 

 

“What’s his name? The man you’re working for, that is.” He grabbed his coffee again and maintained eye contact.

 

She rolled her eyes. “Nothing gets by you, does it, boy blunder.” She smiled, knowing he would spend the day researching whatever name she gave him.

 

Raven walked to the counter with her thermos and took it in hand before walking to the center of the room. Nightwing’s eyes followed her.  “It’s Vincent.” She teased. Nightwing crossed his arms around his chest as darkness began to surround her form. She smirked in amusement.

 

“His name is, Vincent Wilson.”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your patience! I plan on uploading a chapter at least once every month, though I am hoping for more. Let me know what you think, I promise we're almost done with the introductory stuff. Again, thank you so much for your patience, I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Until then, stay kind, stay honest, stay you!  
> -Asmaru


	4. Silence

Rachel walked to the front room of her house as she emerged from the darkness which brought her there. The icy chill of the often vacant home bit at the areas of skin she left uncovered. For a moment, she wondered if she would have enough time to grab a jacket before Mr. Wintergreen arrived to pick her up. 

 

She moved towards the stairs towards her other bedroom. Before reaching them, however, she was stopped by two solid knocks at the door. She closed her eyes, annoyed with herself for not thinking to grab a jacket sooner. ‘Looks like I’ll be freezing all day.’ She scolded herself as she turned from the stairs and towards the front door. 

 

She stopped in front of the mirror, checking her reflection and assuring the ear cuff was doing its job. Her straight walnut hair was pulled tightly into a high ponytail with strands of hair pulled out on both sides of her face. Her makeup was simple, brown eyeliner and mascara, though it was more than she was used to. Thankfully, demons have impressive complexions, meaning she never needed foundation, let alone concealer. It was yet another benefit to the shortening of her morning routine. 

 

‘I suppose this is as good as it’s going to get. I can’t keep him waiting too long.’ 

 

Rachel sighed as she turned to open the door. In truth, it wasn’t just the jacket that had her slightly on edge. This would be her first time working as a  _ human _ ; “Being a functional and proper member of society”, as Cyborg put it. Therefore, her powers must be under control- despite any frustration.

 

 A headache began to form beneath where her chakra would be. Her other hand reached up to massage her temple. There were bound to be  _ plenty  _ of frustrations working for a stranger.

 

‘This is a bad idea.’ Her thoughts spoke to her in her usual monotone, further dulling her current situation.

 

Intelligence rose to the surface of her thoughts, “We need to do this so our friends won’t worry anymore.” The yellow caped emoticlone coaxed her gently, reestablishing the resolve in her thoughts. 

 

‘But what if I mess this up? They could see who I really am and expose Rachel to the world.’

 

She could feel Timid rising as her emoticlones all struggled for control.  _ Control _ . She needs to be in control. 

 

“Calm down.” Her hand gripped the door handle as peace rolled over her senses. “We can do this! I’m so excited!” Bravery began to well up inside her, chanting phrases of encouragement as Raven exhaled slowly. 

 

She opened the door cautiously, ensuring her keys were in her hand. Happiness and Intelligence began to join in with Bravery, whispering notions of positivity louder than the negative ones threatening to break her calm again. 

 

“Rachel?”

 

Silence washed over her internal debate. 

 

The voice was warm and gentle, as was the hand now resting on her shoulder. Her own emotions were silent with nothing to say; nothing to do but enjoy the hopeful expression that radiated from Wintergreen’s kind face. 

 

“Are you well this morning, child?” His concerned smile deepened. The hand on her shoulder lifted as he motioned toward the driveway. Dazed, she followed behind him, willing herself to find her voice.

 

“Quite well thank you,” she paused, eyes going wide upon seeing her mode of transportation to work, “I’m just nervous is all.” She considered her words carefully, “I don’t want to be a disappointment.” 

 

Wintergreen turned his face to her and nodded in understanding. “I don’t blame you, Rachel. You’re about to work beside people you’ve never met before in a place you’ve never been.” He opened the door of the BMW W9, the matte black contrasting against his pale hand. 

 

He held his gaze on her, his features softening further, “You’ve no need to worry, my dear. The Master is meticulous in who he employs. I have no doubts about his decision,” He motioned her to sit in the passenger seat, “That being said I know you’re perfect and I look forward to working with you.” She looked shyly to his hand as happiness flicked against her mind like electricity. 

 

‘He’s sincere? He believes in me?!’ Rachel smiled as genuinely as possible, trying to hide the astonishment from her expression before climbing into the vehicle. She buckled her seatbelt as the door closed behind her and the older man proceeded to walk around and take his place in the driver’s seat. 

 

The car’s interior was luxurious, to put things mildly. The latest technology was installed as well as an impressive light show from all of it. Things she never dreamed were necessary filled the vehicle and despite its small size, it was surprisingly roomy. The black and light brown leather curved elegantly around the edges of the interior, adding an even more spacious feeling.

 

Rachel receded into her thoughts for a moment. ‘It seems redundant to want privacy when you drive such a flashy vehicle.’ She looked to Wintergreen as he put the car into gear. 

 

“The house isn’t terribly far but it will take a few minutes to get there. Feel free to find whatever music you like.” He handed his phone to her with Spotify already opened. “Use this, it's already connected.” Rachel took the phone and stared at it with curiosity.

 

Her thumbs hovered over the keypad on the screen. ‘This would have been easier with my phone. I don’t even know what Mr. Wintergreen likes to listen to.’ She looked back to Wintergreen, the car jolting slightly every time he changed gears. “Do you like instrumental music?” She asked shyly, eyes glancing at his hand again as soft hues of pink formed on her cheeks.

 

He turned onto the highway and began to merge with the chaotic cluster of traffic heading northwest. “I will endure anything you play as long as it is not disrespectful or derogatory. Though- ” He paused, glancing at the phone briefly, then her, “I do enjoy the sound of a piano.”

 

She stared at the phone again, begging for a song to come to her thoughts. She had a variety of piano pieces which she loved to listen to, mainly to keep her mind at ease. That wouldn’t be a bad idea right about now. 

 

Seconds passed before her thumbs typed the words carefully. She paused before selecting a song on the screen. Soon, the car was filled with peace in the form of Ludovico Einaudi’s Nuvole Bianche. Calm washed over her as the music overwhelmed the thoughts welling up inside of her. She sipped her tea as she leaned back into the comfortable leather behind her, her eyes staring out the window as the traffic slowly dwindled to nothing.

 

It was early, the sun still hiding beyond the horizon. The further they drove away from Titan Tower, the more peaceful the world became. The traffic which once surrounded them had promptly turned off onto their respective exits. A few more minutes went by, the morning fog slowly fading as each new song played on the sound system. No words were spoken, the music being enough to fill the silence. It was… uncomfortable, but not the worst thing to endure. 

 

A few more minutes passed before Wintergreen finally turned onto a mountain exit. The road curved upward, hugging the mountainside as they progressively made their way above the fog. Rachel surveyed her surroundings, they truly hadn’t been driving for long, but the city seemed so small now; so far away. The usual swirl of the city’s population and their emotions dwindled to a dull whisper against her mind. ‘I could get used to this.’ She sipped her tea, reflecting again on the months yet to come. 

 

It’s true, the thought of being around new people was unsettling for her, but Wintergreen had already proven to be kind at heart. If anything, he alone would make this experience easier for her to adjust to. His gentle face and genuine compassion spoke volumes to her empathic powers. Still, there was something else that tugged at the happiness inside her. 

 

“What’s it like living so far from the city?” She turned to Wintergreen curiously. 

 

His emotions shifted, calm washing over him and, relief? He pulled the car towards a gated driveway and entered a code into the black box outside. Cameras littered the outer gate meticulously. Rachel assumed the high level of security was normal for a man of such power. The Titans were no different, if anything, they were even more paranoid thanks to Nightwing’s careful attention to detail and his paranoia. 

 

The gate opened slowly and Wintergreen pulled the car through. “It’s quiet here.” He spoke softly, turning the car around a corner as they continued uphill. “It’s far enough from the city to be private, but not so far that travel is inconvenient.” The car rounded the corner averting Rachel’s gaze to the mansion before her. Wintergreen continued to speak, but his words were lost to her other senses. 

 

Three stories of light gray towered before her with accents of white and black set in a modern boxy style. Balconies littered the exterior as well as some cameras here and there. Most noticeably, however, were the large windows that took up entire walls. “Woah.” The word slipped effortlessly, distracting Wintergreen from his words.

 

The man turned to her, ceasing his previous monologue as he parked the car. “Did you expect anything less from a man of the master’s status?”

 

Rachel tried to hide the red in her cheeks by staring at the other luxury vehicles in the garage.

 

Wintergreen chuckled, “I know it looks overwhelming, but I have a feeling you’ll enjoy it here.” He stepped outside, motioning for her to follow. “Are you hungry? I have breakfast made already.”

 

‘Breakfast?’ Rachel questioned. ‘I didn’t expect them to feed me too.’ She exited the vehicle, slung her backpack onto her shoulder, then grabbed her thermos from the cupholder. She took a sip as she approached Wintergreen. She didn't have time to eat this morning thanks to her scaring Changeling after laughing at her. Breakfast might help her nerves more. “Maybe something small, thank you.” Rachel smiled brightly, handing the man his cell phone from before. 

 

Wintergreen took the phone and began walking, his arms placed behind his back in a relaxed fashion. “Stay close, Miss Roth.” He opened a door leading inside. “I’ll admit, it’s easy for me to get lost here. We’ve never relocated anywhere with the intention of staying long.” 

 

Rachel followed closely, glancing at her surroundings as the pair walked. 

 

Boxes littered the rooms as well as furniture. Apart from the mess, the home was neat and smelled of fresh paint. ‘No wonder they need an extra hand. It would be impossible to organize all of this stuff on their own.’ She thought to herself, feeling more and more overwhelmed the further they walked inside. Eventually, they came to the kitchen and what Rachel assumed to be the living room. 

 

Dark wood floors ran the entirety of the room and halls, greeted by white and gray granite countertops. Heather gray cabinets and stainless steel appliances lined the far left side of the room, leaving a large island and breakfast bar in the middle of the kitchen area. Boxes and furniture filled the far right side of the room. ‘I guess that’s what I should expect of every room for now.’ Rachel continued behind Wintergreen, her eyes cast upward to the lifted ceiling and the visible halls on the floor above them.

 

Wintergreen continued forward, his emotions shifting from his usual calm to one of joy and content. Rachel noticed the change, turning abruptly at the sound of glass on the counter. “Good morning sir! Was breakfast to your liking?” Wintergreen chided, stopping just before the white leather stool at the end of the breakfast bar.

 

‘Oh Azar,’ Rachel blushed at her previous gawking of her surroundings, ‘I pray Mr. Wilson didn’t see all of that!’ She couldn’t see the man from behind Mr. Wintergreen, but his emotions were fervent and powerful. She attempted to distinguish all of them in her mind. ‘Confidence, pride, contentment, determination, a hint of curiosity and….’ her thoughts calmed, ‘Authority.’ Whoever this man was, he screamed control and dominance. Yet, she could sense no hostility from him. Actually, she felt an overwhelming feeling of kindness radiate over her. ‘Why does this feel so familiar, but new at the same time?’

 

Glass clanked against the counter again, shattering her thoughts. “The bacon was a pleasant surprise, thank you. How was the drive this morning?” The sound of velvet and gravel seemed to still her heart, eyes going wide from hearing such a controlled and textured voice. She considered peeking around Wintergreen to see the man it belonged to.

 

“I thought you would enjoy something different this morning.” Wintergreen stepped to the side ever so slightly. “The drive was simple, though it was much more enjoyable on my way back.”

 

Rachel looked up slowly, not remembering when she began staring at the floor. 

 

Slowly her eyes found a single black dress shoe slightly covered by black slacks. Her eyes lifted slowly, her confidence suddenly shrinking as they lifted further and further upward. Tone legs appeared, one crossed over the other in his lap. It was amazing the slacks didn’t burst they were so tight! White entered her vision, his arms and chest appearing very much the same as his legs. His arms were slightly tan with veins trailing up his muscular arms. 

 

She slowed ever so slightly, hesitating to look this man in the eyes. ‘Why am I nervous? I’ve fought hundreds of criminals without fear or hesitation. How is this man any worse than any of them?’

 

Her hand found the scar on her neck as she inhaled slightly. The soothing motion willing her to finally lift her eyes fully, her other hand extended in greeting. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Wilson.” 

 

Shock filled her thoughts as his hand reached out to hold hers. Energy surged through her, urging her to lift her eyes to his. She paused, staring wide-eyed and confused. A singular steely blue eye met her sky-like irises. A small eyepatch covered his right eye, but it did not diminish the intensity burning between them. Dominance radiated further from the man, and something else?

 

 ‘Oh my-’. Sharp cheekbones and a chiseled jawline captivated her attention. Soft brown hair was spiked handsomely atop his head, his skin-close beard similar in color. She might wonder about what happened to his eye later, but right now…

 

Her breath hitched, realizing his deep-set eye hadn’t moved from her own. ‘Crap, he knows I was staring!’ Her emotions rampaged within her, but her facial features appeared to remain calm apart from the deepening redness in her cheeks. ‘I can’t do this, I have to leave!’ She could feel the power rising inside of her, risking to levitate all of the nearby objects into combustion.

 

She began chanting to herself as she formulated an excuse to leave the room. ‘Azarath metrion zinthos, Azarath metrion zinth-’.

  
  


“The pleasure is mine.” His voice commanded calm over her, her excuse to leave already forgotten. Her hand dropped from his, limp, suddenly feeling much warmer than it was before. 

“I can hardly express my appreciation to have your assistance.” He lifted his coffee mug from the counter as a smirk formed on his lips. “God knows it would take a lifetime with this old goat by himself.” He chuckled as he sipped his coffee once more. 

 

Wintergreen continued to the kitchen and withdrew two plates from a cabinet. “It wouldn’t take me so long if you stepped out of your office more often.” The older man chided playfully at the dominant man at the counter.

 

Mr. Wilson rolled his eye and turned to Rachel, “He says I work too much. I’ve no idea why.” The man shrugged nonchalantly. “ I apologize if my help around the house is limited, but feel free to ask either of us if you require assistance.” His gaze held on her, his eye wandering effortlessly over her figure. His face gave nothing away, but his emotions wavered when she stepped closer to him. ‘Is he- nervous? No that’s not it.’

 

“Thank you, I’m sure I’ll be needing your help with most of the heavier things.” She eyed his physique quickly before returning to his facial features. “Is there any particular way you want your things to be arranged, Mr. Wilson?” She placed her tea on the counter and eyed the white stool next to him. She maintained standing, unsure if she was allowed to sit and her inner confidence almost too fragile to ask. 

 

As if he’d seen her internal struggle in others before, Mr. Wilson gestured to the barstool next to him as he uncrossed his legs. Rachel nodded her appreciation and slid into the chair easily, setting her backpack on the floor beside her. 

 

His posture was professional but relaxed as he turned to her, hands in a steeple position in his lap. “The exact placement of things I’ll leave to you and Will to coordinate together. However, I would like things to be kept in an organized and clean fashion.” 

 

He leaned toward her ever so slightly, his eye not leaving her for a moment. “If I want something done  _ specifically  _ I’ll be sure to tell you in advance.” His voice darkened and the look in his eye hardened, adding to a tightness in her throat she didn’t realize was there. “ If nothing else, you can always find me in my office for further questions.”

 

She froze, unsure if she should move away or maintain their proximity. She felt like she was drowning in the strength of his emotions, his single eye staring at her as though he could see her thoughts. ‘Bravery, I need you!’ She cried internally begging for some kind of relief.

 

As if on cue, Rachel found her voice in the chaos of her thoughts. “Do we need to go there now?” she said almost too eagerly. ‘What was that Bravery?!’ She scrambled to find the right words. “I-, I assume you have an official letter of employment for me to sign?” 

 

She internally sighed in relief, having found an appropriate addition to her former statement. Still, her cheeks flushed a darker shade despite her attempts to hide her embarrassment. She found her tea and drank slowly in an attempt to regain her composure. 

 

‘What the hell is wrong with me?!? He’s not  _ that  _ scary. He’s not scary at all!’ She scolded herself internally. She didn’t understand what was happening, and she didn’t have any time at the moment to find out. 

 

She looked at him again, urging herself to remain alert and focused on his face and not the way his shirt was unbuttoned at the top or the way his sleeves were rolled exposing his taut muscles. “My gosh, he’s so handsome!” An unfamiliar emotion interjected, her eyes going wide for a moment before returning to their neutral stare at the intimidating man before her.

 

She steadied her expression, focusing her thoughts inward once again. ‘Who the hell are y-’, 

 

Mr. Wilson stood suddenly, the stool sliding smoothly backward as he turned towards another hallway. He paused, looking to her with curiosity. She simply stared, unsure what was going on inside her mind.

 

“Come, I suppose you need to know where my office is in likeliness you require assistance.” 

 

She stood, hoping to re-establish her assertiveness when she was eye level with him again. ‘Sweet Azar he’s huge!’ He towered over her, well over a foot above her head. She was wrong to assume standing would help her nerves, if anything, it made them worse. She sipped her tea again and waited for the man’s instructions. Desperately trying to keep from trembling or from letting her powers run rampant through the house.

 

‘What am I doing? Why am I acting like this?’ She stood still, her composure unbroken thankfully. She attempted to reach out and feel the emotions of the room.

 

Mr. Wilson looked her over a moment more before waving his hand. “Follow me, Rachel.” Her name spilled over his lips, velvet and gravel overwhelming her all over again.

 

She had never felt emotions quite like this. Typically, when one showed concern their dominance receded. Or when one was dominant they were typically proud and arrogant. Mr. Wilson, however, emanated concern and an air of control at the same time. ``How does he do that? Something is  _ different  _ about him. But what?’

 

Her instincts took over, body moving of its own curiosity as she trailed behind him, her backpack forgotten on the floor of the kitchen. “Yes, Sir.”

 

Slade purred internally to himself, his ego inflating at her acknowledgment of his authority. ‘Good.’ His hands positioned themselves behind his back; military habit surfacing in his state of dominion.

 

They walked the halls in silence, partly because Rachel couldn’t stop thinking about the way his shoes pulsed against the floor methodically, and partly because Slade was formulating what to do with the girl before him.

 

‘This girl, so  _ independent _ , but timid at the same time? Is she overly shy? Perhaps I can simply scare her if she steps out of line?’ He glanced back at her briefly, her eyes fixed on him with a quizzical expression; her arms defensively wrapped around her torso, hand gripping her arm so tight it was turning white, while her other hand rested on her shoulder. Her thumb stroking the base of her neck absentmindedly. He blinked a few times. ‘Is she,  _ afraid _ ?’

 

He looked at her, eyes like the ocean, skin pale like sand, and cheeks red like roses. ‘Perhaps I’ve overextended my authority?’ Slade turned his head forward again as they neared their destination. 

 

She was easy to control, like clay in the hands of a skilled craftsman. His actions were dominating over her without question, however, there was something else about her. ‘How can I get intel on her if she’s always on high alert?’ He needed to be sure she could be trusted in his home, but how could he be sure if she’s always afraid in his presence?

 

He sighed realizing his error. ‘She’s not one of my soldiers. She’s a young  _ woman _ ; a civilian.’ He removed his hands from his back, resting them at his sides in a way that was foreign to him, shoulders relaxing slightly as his posture receded to a more natural one. ‘Time to treat her like one.’ His hands flexed gently as he contemplated.

 

“Rachel,” His voice brought her from her thoughts again. He continued walking, slower than before. “I’m sure you’re nervous but I assure you, there’s no need.” He stopped in front of two large glass doors, tinted so dark Rachel couldn’t see through them. He looked at her, trying to soften his voice to a more soothing tone. “I’m sure you can assume from the great multitude of boxes that Will would be well-aged before he finished arranging things.” He offered a smile for extra measure. “We’re-,” he stopped, considering his words a moment longer, “ _ I’m _ glad you’re here.” Each word was accented slightly, partly because of his uncertainty in them, partly because he wanted to be sure she heard him.

 

He reached out hesitantly. ‘What am I do-’ Before he realized, his hand was on her shoulder; the one where her hand was resting still. 

 

She froze, electricity and emotions pulsing through her at the contact. ‘Anxiety, kindness, dominance, discomfort, and surprisingly,  _ warmth _ . Not the warmth of his hand but the warmth of the emotions that flowed over her from him. It was enough to silence her own emotions but not overwhelm them, like a blanket over her thoughts radiating from his touch alone. 

 

She exhaled slowly, her chest falling slowly along with her hand. She looked to him, searching for the word of the emotion plastered on his features. His smile curled upward, head cocked to the side ever so gently, and his eye squinted slightly, expression lines forming at the edges. 

 

‘Tenderness.’ A small voice whispered inside of her. 

 

Her eyes locked on his, waiting for another voice to chime in. When none did, she offered a smile and nodded graciously. 

 

With his other hand, he opened one of the doors to his office and stepped inside, his hand slowly lifting from her shoulder as he walked inside. The voices in her head made no effort to resurface, her equilibrium somehow being restored. She would wonder how later, but for now, she was grateful for the silence. 

 

“Thank you, I’m happy to be here, Mr. Wilson.”

  
  
  


  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your patience. This was a difficult chapter to write and I'm sure I will be editing it as time goes by. However, I wanted to share with you my thoughts thus far. I have also edited chapter two if you would like to read something else new! Your thoughts and comments are greatly appreciated, please feel free to let me know how I can better your reading experience! For now, enjoy this small chapter as I work on the next one!  
> -Asmaru


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